Harry Potter and the American Transfer
by WhoIsTheDoctor
Summary: And I would like you three, plus Severus, to go and get her. Will you do it?" "Yes," came the reply. "Good. Now you will be taking Samantha back with you only when she agrees." Full summary inside. M for language and dark themes. Some romance involved.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so I haven't gone and died or dropped off the face of the Earth, I've been working on this! The inspiration hit me one day in June when I was home alone, I don't remember why, but the plot bunny just started kicking my brain in this annoying repetitive way, so I decided to let him have his way. *glares at evil bunny which is now relaxing in my brain* So anyway, if you must know, this is my first Harry Potter fic. Please be brutally honest with me when you review, which I know you will _all_ do, even if you're one of those anonymous people. So, I'm gonna shut up now and let you read. Enjoy!**

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_**Disclaimer: If I owned this plot, I would be J.K. Rowling. If I was J.K. Rowling, I would be incredibly rich, famous, and I would have an incredibly cool English accent. Since I am sadly none of these, I am not her, and only take credit for my characters and my plot. Sue me if you want, but I must warn you; I'm incredibly poor, you'll only get a handful of change and some pocket lint. Shutting up now. ^_^**_

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_**Harry Potter and the American Transfer**_

_In the summer vacation between third and fourth year, Dumbledore sends Harry, Ron, and Hermione, accompanied by Snape, to America to pick up a transfer student there. But what none of them realize is that this rebellious bad girl has dark secrets that may cause everyone around her to be in danger. Will the Golden Trio be able to figure out her mysterious past and save her from herself, or will they find they've bitten off more than they can chew?  


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**Chapter 1: Meetings, Beer, and Cigarettes**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in Hermione's room. It was summer break, and Harry had just been rescued from the Dursleys and taken to Hermione's house. Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's Chess while Hermione looked on. It was Harry's turn, and he'd just found a move in which he could possibly put Ron into checkmate.

"Knight to--," he started, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Hermione's father.  
"Children?" he called through the door, "There's someone here to see you. Come downstairs, please."

The three friends left their game and went down the stairs, Hermione saying, "Thanks, Dad." They got to the bottom of the stairs, and became excited when they saw who was standing in the living room.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" The man chuckled.

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

Harry's cheeks reddened. "Fine, thank you." He then spotted who was standing behind the man. "Professor Snape?"

The man stepped more fully out from behind Dumbledore, scowling slightly. He did _not_ enjoy visiting the Golden Trio during summer break.

"Potter, Weasley, Granger," he said by way of greeting. "I trust your summers have proven enjoyable so far?" he asked, not really caring.

"Yes, sir," Hermione answered, "our summers have been quite enjoyable, thanks for asking."

"Um, excuse me, Professor Dumbledore," Ron piped up, "I don't want to sound rude, but why are you here in the middle of the summer? Have we done something wrong?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, Ronald, you and your friends are not in trouble. However, that does not mean that this visit is a lighthearted one."

"Whatever do you mean, Professor?" Hermione asked.

The headmaster sighed. "Why don't we all sit down? What I am not about to tell you is either easy or short, and I would prefer it if you paid attention to me rather than to your aching feet."

They smiled, and after they had all been seated, he began.

"I suppose I should first tell you why we are becoming involved in all this. A few days ago, I received an owl from a parent by the name of Emily Biluxy." He handed a picture of her to the three friends to help them visualize whom they were talking about. "She was quite desperate, actually. It seems that her husband, David Biluxy," the picture changed to a stern-looking man, "graduated from Hogwarts some seventeen years ago, the same time as your father, Harry," The boy in question looked dumbstruck. "Anyway, she seemed to be begging me to enroll their daughter, Samantha Biluxy, into this coming school year, despite the fact that she would be in fourth year," the picture changed to an angry-looking teenage girl. "Emily tells me that for some reason unbeknownst to her, none of the American schools accepted her."

"Excuse me, sir," Hermione interjected, "but why did you say American schools? Surely they wouldn't want to go that far just for school?"

Dumbledore smiled "I'm glad you caught that, Miss Granger. The Biluxys live in America; Florida, to be exact. But I digress. I owled the principals-headmasters-of the various wizarding schools in America, and they all told me the same thing. Miss Biluxy does indeed have magical ability, but none of them wanted to teach her."

"What?" Harry exclaimed, "That's insane! If she has magical abilities, then teach her!" The other two-thirds of the Golden Trio spoke of their agreement.

"If you're quite done," Dumbledore lightly chastised them, "the reason none of them wanted to teach her is because she is almost fourteen years old and she has been in her local juvenile detention center no less than thirty times.

There was a collective gasp from the Golden Trio and Snape.

"Thirty times?"  asked Ron. "What for?"

"That's just it, Mr. Weasley. Most of the time it's for stealing, but sometimes it's been for fighting, and even for illegal possession and dealing of alcohol and drugs to underage citizens a few times."

"Blimey," said Ron, dazed.

"What does she steal?" asked Harry.

"That's just it, Harry, most of the time it's been food from convenience stores, but a few times they caught her stealing beer and cigarettes. The troubling thing is, there have been so many beer robberies in her town that I can't help but think that those few times weren't the only time she stole some. Her father has paid bail for her every time, but I don't think that will last too much longer."

"Are her parents abusive?" asked Hermione.

"As far as I know, they aren't."

Dumbledore pulled two vials of a blue shimmering substance from his robes along with a miniature Pensive, which, with a spell, he enlarged to a normal size. "I did, however, manage to obtain memories of her home and out of home life to look at. This is a Pensive. Once the memories are put in here, we will be able to enter and watch what is going on. However, the people inside the memory will not be able to hear or see us." He uncorked one vial, setting the other on a nearby coffee table. He poured the memory out, saying, "We will first examine her home life. Severus, if you will?"

The potions master stepped forward, bending down until his face touched the surface of the water-like substance, and was gone a moment later. Hermione followed suit, pursued by Ron, and finally Harry before Dumbledore.

Harry fell to the ground and was quickly lifted up by Ron and Hermione, who asked if he was alright. Nodding the affirmative, Harry looked around. They were in a lavish entryway, with pale blue walls and beige carpet, a short hallway led to a kitchen where Emily Biluxy was cooking supper, judging by the time. Dumbledore landed next to them, and a few seconds later the large white front door slammed shut, Samantha Biluxy being the one who'd slammed it. She was wearing a black jacket, white t-shirt, baggy black capris pants, and black tennis shoes. Her straight black hair was cut just at her shoulders with straight bangs covering her forehead. She was as pale as death, and she looked angry.

"Samantha, is that you?" Emily called from the kitchen. Samantha rolled her large, dark emerald eyes.

"No, it's the tooth fairy. How many times have I told you to call me Sam?" she said exasperatedly. Emily came out to give her daughter a hug, but was pushed away.

"Let me smell your breath," Emily gently demanded.

Sam quickly became angry. "No, mom, I'm not gonna let you smell my breath!" she shouted, "It's none of your goddamn business what I do!"

Emily ignored this. "You've been drinking again. Empty your pockets."

"No! I'm not gonna prove myself to you!"

"Empty your pockets."

"I said no!"

"Samantha Catherine Biluxy, if you do not empty your pockets right now, I will tell your father about your drinking habits and let him deal with you."

"Fine. God, mom, don't have a heart attack."

Two packets of cigarettes fell to the ground, cigarettes falling out of one, along with a cell phone and a lighter.

"I'll take these," said Emily, picking up the cigarettes and lighter.

"Can I go now?" asked Sam. Emily nodded the affirmative, and Sam picked up her cell phone and quickly left. The memory changed and changed again, over and over, and each time it went the same, the only difference being the location of the yelling match. Finally, Dumbledore and Snape dragged the children out of the Pensive, returning again to the Granger's living room. The children looked horrified.

"How do her parents stand it?" whispered Hermione. Harry and Ron just stared blankly at the Pensive.

"Shall I wait a day before showing you the other memories?" Dumbledore asked. All three of the children shook their heads, so he took the second vial out and poured it in, watching as it spread throughout the surface.

This time, when Harry landed in the memory, he was in a Muggle convenience store that was empty except for an old man at the cash register. Once again, a few seconds after Dumbledore landed, the memory began.

Six teens entered the store; five boys and one girl. Sam. They all had jackets on with the hood up to avoid security cameras. One of the boys ran and grabbed the old man by the hair, forcing his head back and holding a pocket knife to his throat.

"Go!" he shouted.

Sam ran to the beer cooler, grabbing sixpacks and handing one to each of the four remaining boys before grabbing two herself and running out the door, followed by the boy with the knife. The security alarm had been set off by the first boy, and now they were flat-out sprinting to get away from the store. The children and two professors followed them, stopping in a forest clearing.

The teens were laughing hysterically, sitting down and each opening a can of beer. Sam was the first to actually speak.

"Oh, man, did ya'll see the look on his face? Priceless!"

The others followed suit, making jokes about the robbery while swigging beer. Then one boy with sandy blonde hair and dark brown eyes tapped Sam on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Look what I swiped you!" he said in a sing-song voice, holding two packs of cigarettes and a lighter in front of her face.

"No way, thanks Josh!" Sam exclaimed, hugging him.

"No prob, babe." Josh hugged her back.

There were gagging sounds, and one of the boys, the one who'd held the knife, pretended to pass out. "Oh, gag me!" he shouted.

Sam narrowed her eyes playfully. "Shut up, Ricky."

She opened one of the packs of cigarettes. "Who wants one?" Everyone did, and soon the whole clearing was full of smoke. Conversation resumed, and not too much later, Sam was sound asleep with her head in Josh's lap, an empty beer can in one hand and a burnt-out cigarette in the other.

"Dude, how many beers did she have?" asked one boy.

"Well, she finished her six pack," replied Josh.

"She took, like, two of mine," added Ricky.

"Eight beers. How many is her tipsy point?" asked the first boy.

"Like, about five or six," answered Josh.

"Damn is she gonna have the hangover form hell tomorrow," state another boy, puffing on a cigarette.

"I'm gone," said the last boy, getting up and leaving while the others laughed. "Peace out."

The memory ended and changed. This time, they were in the middle of a street in the dead of night. There was a ring of teens encircling two lone ones. In the middle stood Sam and a boy they recognized from the other memory. Sam was standing still, looking calm, and the other boy looked as though he was about to fist-fight her.

"A'ight Bobby," Sam was saying, "you think ya'll can land one on me? Go ahead and try. You've got three chances, you hear? If you can land one on me, then I'll go swipe you a six pack _myself_, without any help. But if you can't, ya'll are gonna be so bruised that your momma's gonna wonder whether or not she accidentally got knocked up by some black guy instead of your daddy. Get it?"

Bobby nodded, looking intimidated yet determined. They slapped hands, circling each other for a minute before Bobby decided to strike. He threw a punch, aiming at Sam's gut, but she just stepped to the side, saying, "Strike one!"

Bobby recovered, pulling up his hands and aiming at her face. Again she dodged. "Strike two!" He looked more determined and frightened than ever, and he once again aimed for Sam's gut. She dodged.

"Uh-oh! Three strikes and you're out!"

Sam punched him hard in the jaw, sending Bobby to the ground. She walked over to him and looked at him for a second before kicking him over and over. The boys around them thought this was wonderful, because they all started yelling and cheering her on. Sam stopped after a minute, watching as Bobby stayed curled up, breathing hard and looking pretty bad. She crouched down next to him and said, "Hey, ya'll alright? Come on, we're gonna go and get you better, ya' hear? Let's go get you cleaned up so your momma doesn't have a heart attack."

She reached a hand down, and Bobby took it. She stood up, pulling the hurt boy up with her. Someone handed her a beer can, which she opened up and gulped half down before handing it to Bobby, who smiled.

"Thanks, Sam," he whispered.

"Hey, no prob," she replied, smiling, "Maybe next time you'll be quicker on your punches."

The memory ended, and the five wizards were shown many more memories, all of which had to do with stealing, fighting, and running away from the police. Again Dumbledore and Snape dragged the children out of the Pensive and into the Granger's living room. Hermione's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"How can she do that to herself?" she asked.

"Quite easily, apparently," answered Ron.

"Professor Dumbledore, why are you telling us all this?" Harry asked, purposefully leaving out the part about wanting to know why on earth _Snape_ of all people was there.

"I thought you would never ask, Harry," Dumbledore replied, smiling. "There are two reasons. First of all, I couldn't bear to let someone as young as you three go through her entire life like that, for she most certainly would if we did not act now. Secondly, I have reasons to believe that she is a very powerful witch, even if she doesn't know it yet. Simply put, people with power levels like hers ought to be trained so that they do not endanger themselves or anyone around them.

"I _am _going to allow her to go to Hogwarts, but I do not want her to attend unwillingly. That's where you four come in. I want all of you to go and convince her to come, and then take her back here for training. After all, she _will_ be in Fourth Year; we wouldn't want her to embarrass herself, now would we? Since she is completely untrained, we need to catch her up. What do you say? Will you do it?"

Hermione didn't hesitate. "I'm going. She needs to be helped, even if she doesn't want it," she said.

"I agree with Hermione," Harry said, "I'm going, too."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be left out, now would I?" joked Ron. "I'm going as well."

Dumbledore looked pleased. "Excellent! You will be departing tomorrow at five o'clock in the evening, which if eleven o'clock in the morning Ms. Biluxy's time. You will be staying in a hotel just a few blocks away from her house. Take as long as you need. We will see you tomorrow. Sleep well, children."

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape." The three waved, and a second later, the two adults were gone. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other; nervous about the assignment they'd just been given.

"Blimey," stated Ron. "d'you think she'll want to come?"

Harry shrugged while Hermione shook her head uncertainly.

"I don't know, Ron," she said slowly. "I don't know."

* * *

The next day, the three friends started packing their trunks for the trip. They were a bit nervous after seeing her behaviour, but they were determined to bring her back willingly. The day passed quickly, and soon they were dragging their trunks downstairs to where Dumbledore and Snape, who was wearing a Muggle business suit, were waiting. They each had their trunks reduced and made as light as a feather by Snape, and they put the miniatures in their pockets.

"Well, are you ready to go?" Dumbledore asked. They all nodded their heads, and he pulled an old Muggle boot out of his robes.

"This is a portkey," he explained. "When I say 'go', you all put one finger on it and you'll be taken to your pre-determined destination, which in this case is an alley near Samantha's house. Understand?" Again, everyone nodded, positioning themselves around the boot. "Good, good. On the count of three, I will say 'go'. From that moment, you will have one second to get your finger on that boot. So, good luck, and let's hope you succeed. Three, two, one, _go!_"

The Golden Trio and Snape put their finger on the boot. A second later, they got the feeling of being grabbed behind the navel by a hook and being swung through the air. They took off, and a moment later, they landed hard in an alley. They took a moment to clear their spinning heads, and then stood up, Snape taking over.

"Listen up, you three," he started, "We are in a Muggle city called Rockledge. This alley is right between Ms. Biluxy's house and one of her neighbor's houses. We are going to go and ask Emily Biluxy, Samantha's mother, if she is in. All clear?"

There were nods all around, so Snape turned around and walked out of the alley and onto the sidewalk, the Golden Trio following behind. They walked up white stairs to the Biluxy's front porch, and Snape knocked on the front door. Emily Biluxy answered, cracking the door open so that only her face showed.

"Hello?" she asked with a slight Southern accent, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Snape replied, "We're looking for Samantha. Is she home?"

Emily's eyes widened. "You're British. Are you from that school?"

Snape's eyebrow rose. "You mean Hogwarts?" She nodded. "Yes, the headmaster sent us."

"Come on in." She opened up the door wider and stepped back to allow them in, shutting the door behind them.

"I didn't see her last night," she said worriedly. "But I may have missed her. Hold on, let me check her room." She jogged up a flight of stairs and went out of sight. The three friends shared a look before she came back, looking more worried than ever.

"She's not in there." She looked as if she might cry. "Hold on a sec, let me try and call her." Emily walked into the kitchen and picked up a cordless phone, quickly dialing a number. She stood waiting for someone to answer, but no one did.

"I'm sorry, she's ignoring me. Why don't you try coming back later?"

Snape nodded. "We'll be back later this evening. Good day." He motioned to the three teens that it was time to leave.

"I'm sorry," Emily said again.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Snape assured. He walked down the stairs after the trio.

"We shall scope out the city. It will give us a better idea of where everything lies, in case we have to stay here for a while. Come, we are wasting time."

The teens nodded their heads and set off after their potions teacher.

* * *

"What is _with_ all these fourth of July sales?" Ron asked, "What's so special about the fourth of July anyway?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ronald, don't you know _anything?_ The fourth of July is the day in the year 1776 when America declared their independence from us."

"Well, why would they want to do that? I mean, we're nice blokes. Why—"

"Shhh!" Harry stopped him, standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Oh yes, Harry, go ahead and start talking; I wasn't in the middle of a sent—"

"Shut _up_, Ron! I think I heard something!"

They heard a noise coming form a nearby alley.

"I hear it, too," Hermione said.

"It sounds like a wounded animal or something," stated Ron.

Snape took charge. "I'm going to go and see. You three must stay behind me at all times, we don't know what it is. Understand?"

The trio nodded and followed their professor, all four clutching their wands in their pockets. They came to the end of the alley, and saw a form lying prone against some trashcans and a piece of wall. The four wizards gasped as they realized who the person lying there was. It was Sam.

"Oh, my God," Hermione whispered, eyes glistening.

As they came closer, they saw that she was semi-conscious, but fading fast. Her pale skin was covered in bruises, and she had a split lip. Her arm was bent at an odd angle, and the four realized that it was broken. Snape crouched down and grabbed her arm, ignoring the whimpers, and pushed the two pieces back in place, glad that it was such a clean break. He muttered a spell, and the pieces of bone mended back together.

"Potter, Weasley, Granger, pay attention," he barked, "You never know when you might need to use one of these methods."

He pulled out a jar of cream from his pocket and placed it on the ground next to him.

"Ennervate," he muttered, waking the girl up.

"Huh? What?" she mumbled as she awoke. She noticed Snape crouching in front of her and backpedaled.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Someone who can help," Snape replied. "Now sit still, I have something to put on those bruises that will make them disappear quickly."

Sam considered him for a moment and then nodded, holding out an arm. "Okay," she said.

Snape twisted open the cap of the jar, removing it and placing it on the ground next to him. He cradled the jar in one hand while scooping out a bit of cream with the other. He put the jar down and took her hand with his now-empty one, stretching her arm out. He started rubbing the cream on her arm, apologizing when she shivered.

"Sorry, it's a bit cold."

Sam sucked in a breath through her teeth. "S'alright, I'll get used to it."

The trio looked at each other, dumbfounded. Snape had apologized for something? And actually being gentle? Of they didn't know better, they'd have thought he'd gone mad.

Snape finished her arm and let go of it, getting some more cream.

"I'm going to get your other arm now, alright?"

Sam nodded, and he began rubbing the cream onto her skin. A few minutes later, he was done with both her arms and her legs. He was about to work on her neck, which had bruises on it that indicated that someone had tried to strangle her, when she pulled away, barely concealed fear on her face.

"Um, do you mind if I have a cigarette first?" she asked. "It'll help be calm down. Please?"

Snape considered it for a moment. As much as he didn't like the habit, if that's what it took to calm her down, then Merlin knew that he should let her have one. He nodded.

"Thanks. You want one?"

"No, thank you. I don't smoke."

She shrugged, lighting the cigarette between her teeth. "Suit yourself." A few minutes later she dropped the halfway burnt-out cigarette, grinding it out with her shoe.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Snape took some of the cream and rubbed it on her neck, being even more gentle than before. He felt her stiffen and he reduced his touch so that he was barely touching her skin at all. He finished quickly and moved to her face, one hand placed on the back of her head while the other hand spread the cream on her face, working rather quickly and finishing soon.

"There, all done." Most of the bruises on her arms and legs had already faded.

"Thanks," Sam said gratefully. Her mother would've killed her if she saw all those bruises.

"You're quite welcome. Come, let's get you home."

Sam looked surprised and wary. "You know where I live?"

Snape looked amused. "Of course I do, I know your mother."

"Oh." She stood up and took a step forward, almost falling down but for Snape catching her. She grinned sheepishly. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought."

Snape could smell alcohol on her breath and correctly guessed that she wasn't completely sober. He knew that she would never make it to her house on her own two feet, so he picked her up, bridal-style, intending to carry her home. To say that Sam was startled at the sudden departure from the ground would be an understatement.

"_HEY!_" she shouted, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

Snape ignored the profanity, although his ears were ringing from the shout.

"I am carrying you home," he answered, "You can relax, I won't hurt you. Just ask these three." He nodded his head towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who'd watched the entire exchange. Sam, realizing this, turned a light shade of crimson at the fact that people her age had seen her in such a weak position. They would never be intimidated by her.

Snape turned toward the Golden Trio. "You three, follow me," he barked. He spun around on his heel, frightening Sam. "You're alright, I've got you," he comforted her. The three friends shared a look that said quite clearly, _"Who is he and what has he done to Professor Snape?" _They quickly followed Snape, who'd already left the alley and was heading down the sidewalk at an alarming speed.

* * *

A few blocks later, Sam was asleep, one hand clutching a handful of Snape's shirt. Said Professor Snape was growing steadily more and more irritated at the three friends who were following behind him, who had been whispering ever since Sam fell asleep. It had started when Hermione had said, "Did you notice how much they look alike?"

"What do you mean, Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Honestly, Harry, don't you have eyes? Just look for yourself, you'll see."

Harry and Ron looked, comparing the two. They both had straight black hair and pale skin. It wouldn't be hard to imagine them being related.

"You're right, Hermione," said Harry. "Are they related?"

"Woah," stated Ron, his imagination already running away from him. "Maybe he's her dad. That would be beyond creepy."

"It would be if it was true, which it isn't," stated Hermione matter-of-factly.

"What makes you say that?" asked Harry.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come _on_, you two; use your brains for once in your lives. Snape lives in Britain; Sam's mother lives in America, that's the only way she would have that Southern accent. It's completely illogical to think that Snape is Sam's _father_."

"Well, you never know," argued Ron. "He could've been sent here on some super-secret You-Know-Who mission, met Sam's mom, and –,"

Snape chose that moment to lose his patience. He stopped dead, turning to face the three teens quickly, anger plain on his face.

"Hasn't _anyone_ ever—," he spat venomously, stopping when he felt the hand holding part of his shirt clench. He looked down, and sure enough, Sam's face was scrunched up in fear. "You're alright," he comforted. He felt her grip loosen slightly and saw her face smooth into an indicator of a peaceful sleep. He looked back up at the three teens, erasing the anger and most of the irritation out of his voice.

"Haven't you ever been told that it's rude to whisper in front of people?" he asked. "Come, it's getting late."

Snape turned around and started walking away, the Golden Trio following behind, cowed into silence.

* * *

About a block away form her house, Sam yawned hugely and opened her eyes, looking horrified that Snape was still carrying her.

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty," Snape joked.

Sam frowned. "Don't call me that. Where are we?"

"About a block from your house."

"And could you please explain to me _why_ you're still carrying me around?"

"It's not in my nature to dump a sleeping child on the ground and tell them to walk, especially if said child had just recently been beaten black and blue."

"I'm _not_ a child. You just passed my house, by the way."

"Did I?" Snape looked around. "It seems I did. Come along, you three."

Sam started when she realized the three teens were still there. "Let me walk," she demanded.

Snape looked into her pleading yet determined dark emerald eyes and found he couldn't say no. "Alright, just be careful." She nodded, and he put her down.

"Thanks." She took a few steps back, away from the four. "So, um, I'll just be going now, and maybe I'll see you around. Bye." She turned around and made it about two steps before someone grabbed her wrist. She wrenched her arm out of their grasp and swirled around; stopping when she saw it was one of the kids her age.

"No," he said. "I have a feeling that if we just let you go, you won't just go home. Am I right?"

Sam nodded her head. "Yeah, you're right—uh—what's your name?"

His eyes widened in realization. "Oh! I guess we never did tell you our names." He gestured towards himself. "I'm Harry Potter." He waited for a second, waiting for some sign of recognition, mentally breathing a sigh of relief when none was forthcoming. He gestured to the red-headed boy behind him. "This is Ron Weasley." To the brown-haired girl, "This is Hermione Granger." To the man who'd healed her, "And this is Professor Severus Snape."

"Professor?" asked Sam. "As in a college professor or someone with a PhD?"

"Neither," replied Snape. "It's what you call your teacher instead of 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.'. So saying Professor Snape is the same as saying Mr. Snape."

"Oh, I get it," said Sam. "So what's your point, Harry?"

"What?" asked Harry, not sure what she was talking about.

"Earlier, you said that if you just let me go, I won't go home. So what? What does it matter?"

"Sam, you were just beaten almost unconscious," Hermione stated. "You need to go home and sleep. Your parents are probably worried sick; apparently you didn't go home last night."

Sam looked surprised, then angry. "Since when have they cared about me? The only reason my mom would've been acting worried is because if I get sent to juvie, it'll look bad to all of her friends. She doesn't give a damn, and neither does my dad. And what does it matter to you? Are you like my stalkers or something?"

"No," said Ron. "We're just concerned. You should've seen yourself when we found you; no offense, but it wasn't pretty."

"_Anyway_," interrupted Snape. "Let us make sure you get home. For your parents. It'll put our minds at ease."

"There ain't no way in hell I'm doing it for my parents," said Sam forcefully. "But I'll do it for ya'll. C'mon, let's go." They all set off for her house. They were almost to the bottom porch step when Sam stopped and turned to face her companions. "Will I see ya'll again after this?" she asked.

Snape nodded. "Yes, we'll be coming back tomorrow."

Sam nodded, relief clear on her face, before turning around and quickly climbing the steps to her font door. She turned the doorknob, but nothing happened. The door remained shut. She tried again, jiggling the knob back and forth, but still nothing happened.

"Huh," she said. "That's weird. My mom always leaves the door unlocked, unless she's not home, 'cause I don't have a key. But she's gotta be here, 'cause the lights are on. So that means—,"

The door opened, David Biluxy behind it.

"—my dad's home," Sam finished.

"Samantha, _there_ you are! Come on, come give Dad a hug. I haven't seen you in _ages!_" He had a huge grin on his face, and he spoke with a heavy British accent. Sam paused for a moment as if considering, then she stepped forward and gave her father a quick hug, stepping back right after.

"Hey Dad," she said. "Waddaya mean by 'ages'? It's only been three weeks. I thought you'd be gone at least three more."

David coughed uncomfortably, as if trying to cover something up. "Yes, well, I got done earlier than expected, so I came home. Is that okay with you? You don't seem very excited."

Sam's eyes widened and she seemed to choose her words very carefully. "I'm glad you're here; I'm just still in shock that you're back so early. You're just usually gone so much longer, that's all."

Snape chose that moment to interrupt. He tapped Sam on the shoulder, and when she turned around, he said, "We're going to leave now so you and your father can spend some time together, alright?"

Sam nodded, face blank, but something in her eyes screamed, _"__Don't leave!__"_

"Don't worry, Sam, we'll be back tomorrow, remember?"

Sam nodded again. "Yeah, I remember, Mr. Snape. G'bye. I guess I'll see ya'll tomorrow."

Snape turned to leave, but stopped when David spoke.

"Hang on a second. Severus Snape, is that you?"

Snape turned around, recognizing David from his school days. "Yes, it is. How have you been, David?"

David laughed. "Fine, fine. And you?"

Sam wore an expression of slack-jawed shock. They knew each other? _"How the hell did that happen?"_ she thought.

"Quite well, actually," Snape was saying.

Sam shook her head, as if trying to clear it, and tapped both men on the shoulder to make them look at her. "I'm sorry, but I'm out of the loop. Care to fill me in? I'd just _love_ to know how the hell you two know each other."

"_Yes_, Samantha," David answered. "Remember that school I told you about? We were classmates there."

"Oh, you mean that boarding school in Britain which you forgot the more specific location of with that really weird name that I forgot and I'm never going to attend it because it's for really smart kids and we _both_ know that I definitely don't fit that requirement? You were classmates there? Cool." She said it all very fast, and Harry and Ron were reminded of the train ride in the beginning of their First Year when they met Hermione. She had spoken in a similar fashion, although Sam definitely beat her in the speed department.

"Yes, yes indeed," said David, sounding a little irritated. "So Severus, what do you do now?"

"I teach at our old school."

"Oh really? What subject? Wait, wait, don't tell me. _Chemistry_, right?"

Hearing the emphasis on the word 'chemistry', Snape realized that Sam could be oblivious about the Wizarding World. That would explain the emphasis on the subject, which was about the Muggle equivalent of Potions.

"Yes," he said slowly. "Chemistry. I teach chemistry now."

"Hah, I knew it!" David exclaimed triumphantly. He turned to Sam. "He always had a head for it. Sometimes he even corrected the texts!"

"Really?" asked Sam. "Chem's supposed to be really hard."

"Yes, well you wouldn't know about that, now would you?"

"Nuh-uh."

It was then that David spied the Golden Trio. "Why Severus," he said scandalously, "been busy, have you?"

It took Snape a moment to realize who David was talking about. "No, no," he said, "they aren't mine. They're my students. I'm taking them on a field trip of sorts."

"Mhmm, that's what they all say… No, I thought so; I'm just teasing you a bit. Let me guess, the black-haired one is James Potter's son, right?"

Harry looked startled. "Yes, sir, he was," he replied.

"Hmm, and is your mother Lily Evans, by any chance?"

"Yes, sir, how'd you guess?"

"It's quite simple. Anyone who's met your mother would have a difficult time forgetting her eyes. How are your parents, anyway?"

Harry looked uncomfortable. "I—um—,"

"They were killed," Snape answered for him.

David looked surprised. "Oh, I'm so sorry. They were great people, Lily and James."

"Thank you, sir," said Harry.

David looked to Hermione. "I don't think your parents went to school with me. Did they ever go there?"

"No, they didn't," Hermione replied.

"Quite a brilliant thing to go there when your parents didn't. You must be quite an extraordinary girl."

"Thank you, sir."

"And you," David said, looking at Ron. "Don't tell me; you're a Weasley. Arthur and Molly finally get married, did they?"

Ron nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Brilliant man, your father. A bit strange, granted, but brilliant. No offense intended, of course."

"None taken. Thank you, sir."

"You're quite welcome. Now, if you don't mind, it's getting late, and I'd like to catch up with Samantha a bit tonight."

"Of course," replied Snape. "We'll be back tomorrow to have a chat with her. It was nice seeing you again, David."

"You as well, Severus. Goodnight Severus, children."

"Goodnight, sir," the three friends replied.

"Goodnight, David," Snape said. "We'll see you tomorrow, Sam."

"'Kay, Mr. Snape," Sam replied, the look of desperation back in her eyes and an anxious tone creeping into her voice. "'Night, guys."

"G'night, Sam," the friends replied.

They all waved, and the four wizards left, Sam and David entering their house.

"He seems like a nice bloke," stated Ron.

"Yes, but I can't quite work out why Sam is so afraid of him," said Hermione.

"What d'you mean. Hermione?" asked Harry.

"I don't truthfully know; she just seems to be scared of him for some reason. It's just a feeling, that's all."

"I know what you mean, Ms. Granger," Snape said. "I feel it too. I don't think we have to worry, though. The David I know wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," said Harry.

The four walked through the dark streets to their hotel, completely unaware of what was going on in the house they'd just left.

**Chapter 1- End**

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****Okay, how did you like it? Be truthful now, don't worry about my feelings. If you feel like flaming me, just be warned that the flames will be used to make s'mores, as I do enjoy them so much. Just a heads-up. Oh, yeah, by the way, I can't read minds through the computer. So for me to know if I should continue this, then you need to write a review and let me know. Thanks Bunches!**

**~artyluvr  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I finished a few days earlier than expected. Hope that's not a problem. ^_^ Okay, so this chapter is dedicated to three people. KelseyHalliwell, for story-alerting, Corona14, for helping me when I got writer's block, and MeggosaysLeggomyEggo, for getting me off my you-know-what and updating today instead of waiting. So that's it! Enjoy! **

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_**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my plot and my characters. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Go ahead and try to sue me, I only have three dollars in my wallet. Don't spend it all in one place.  
**_

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**Chapter 2: Rescues and Revelations**

The next day, the four wizards were back at the Biluxy residence. Snape knocked on the door, and Emily once again answered.

"Oh, it's you," she said. "Looking for Samantha? She's probably still in her room; it's upstairs, right-hand hallway, second door on the right. Go right on in; the door doesn't lock."

"Thank you," said Snape. The four friends followed Emily's directions, coming to a door that had no visible lock on it. They knocked on it, and hearing no response, Snape opened the door, finding the room to be empty of people. They stepped inside to make sure they hadn't missed anything, but the room was dead silent. Ron started to say something, but no sound came out. He motioned wildly for Snape, and he tried to speak again, no sound coming out whatsoever. Snape stepped back into the hallway, motioning for the teens to do so as well.

"I have an idea about this," he said. "When we go back inside, try to yell as loudly as you can."

He stepped back inside, the teens following suit, yelling their heads off. Or so they thought. Not a sound escaped their lips. Snape motioned for them to stop, pulling his wand out of his sleeve. With a flick of his wrist, the Silencing Charm that was on the room fell with a slight _bang._

_"David was always good at Charms,"_ Snape thought. Could it have been him? And if so, then why?

Almost as if the world had heard him, a sniffling sound could be heard coming from the wardrobe, which was barred shut. Snape strode quickly over to the wardrobe, stuffing his wand back up his sleeve as he went, the three friends following behind him. When he got to the doors, he could clearly hear someone crying as though they'd been doing so for quite a while. He unbarred the wardrobe and opened the doors, and there was a collective gasp from all those who were in the room.

There, amid the clothes, Sam was curled up in a sitting position with her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped around them and her forehead on her knees. She was rocking back and forth, crying like a frightened child. What startled the four the most, though, were the bruises that covered almost all of her pale skin. Bruises that definitely weren't there the night before.

"Sam?" Snape called softly, but he got no response. Gently, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he touched her, she flinched away so hard that for a second he thought she was having a seizure. He withdrew his hand and watched in horror as she started crying harder. He motioned for the three teens to follow him a little bit away from the wardrobe.

"Ms. Granger," he said. "I want you to find her suitcase and pack it with everything she will need this school year. Understand?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir, but aren't we supposed to wait until we can convince her to go?"

Snape's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Yes, Ms. Granger, we should _definitely_ leave her with her obviously abusive parents to follow Professor Dumbledore's orders. He. _Will. _Understand. Now go get started."

Hermione left to go find a suitcase, and Snape turned to Harry and Ron. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," he addressed them, "you two will be assisting me in getting her out of the wardrobe and calming her down. Use any means necessary. Understand?" Seeing nods, he turned back to the wardrobe. "Let's go."

They went back to the wardrobe, finding that Sam hadn't moved an inch since they'd left her. Snape, anticipating noise, cast a _Muffliato_ spell on the door.

"Sam?" He got no response again. "Sam, we're going to get you out of there." He gently took her arm, intending to lead her out, but she jerked it away.

"Don't!" she yelled, eyes shut tightly.

Snape tried to pat her shoulder to comfort her, but that only made things worse.

"No, please don't!" Sam yelled, trying to get away from the hand. "Don't hit me again, _please!_"

Snape withdrew his hand, watching helplessly as she started sobbing.

"Sam?" he asked, loud enough for her to hear over her sobs. "Sam! Listen to me, Sam; it's Mr. Snape. I'm not going to hit you. I'm going to pick you up now; I'm not going to hurt you."

Snape bent down and gently lifted the sobbing girl up. Apparently she hadn't heard a word he'd just said, for as soon as he touched her, she started flailing, trying desperately to get away.

"No!" she screamed. "No, don't touch me! Please, Dad, I didn't do anything! Let me go!"

One of her flailing arms hit Snape in the face, hard. He hissed in pain, but didn't do anything.

"Ms. Granger, come here!" he shouted. Hermione was there in a flash. "Are you almost done?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir, her suitcase was half-packed already."

He saved this information in the back of his head for later, and nodded. "Well done. Listen to me, all of you. I'm going to put her on the ground, and I need you three to hold down her arms and legs so that she doesn't hurt herself. Understand? Sit on them if you have to."

The trio nodded, and Snape laid her on the ground, cradling her head in his lap. The three teens immediately grabbed her flailing limbs and held them down.

"No!" Sam screamed again. "Let me go!" She thrashed even harder, to no avail. This panicked her even more. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"Don't let her go!" Snape shouted over her.

Finally, a burst of accidental magic sent Snape and Ron crashing into nearby walls. _"Get away!" _Sam screamed.

Snape slowly made his way back to Sam, cursing in his mind. Dumbledore hadn't been joking when he'd said she was powerful. He was followed by Ron, who once again took an arm. Snape grabbed her head with one hand and rustled through his pockets with another, finally pulling out a vial full of a pearly-blue liquid. He uncorked the vial with his teeth, squeezing Sam's cheeks until the pressure made her open her mouth. He quickly poured the substance into her mouth. Snape dropped the vial; he saw that Sam was choking herself by refusing to swallow the liquid. He massaged her throat, and after a second, she swallowed, coughing and gasping.

"Professor Snape?" asked Harry, worry clear in his voice. "What—,"

"It was only a Calming Drought, Mr. Potter," Snape answered. "We will be covering them this year."

Harry nodded, and the four wizards watched as Sam's thrashings slowed and finally stopped. Her eyes fluttered open, and they flicked from Ron, to Harry, to Hermione before settling on Snape, whose face was directly above hers.

"Mr. Snape?" she asked, she asked, her voice hoarse and throat raw.

"Yes, Sam?" he replied softly.

Her eyes watered and she blinked, causing the tears to fall. "I'm sorry," she said waveringly.

He gently brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "You have absolutely _nothing_ to be sorry for."

She sniffed, wiping tears from her face. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Sam?" Hermione asked. "I'm packing your suitcase. Do you need anything else? I've got your clothes, your toothbrush, toothpaste,—ahem—girly items, eyeliner—is that it?"

Sam sat up. "Just about," she said. "But I'll get the rest."

"What does 'the rest' involve? I'll help."

"Four things. My cell phone, my laptop, my i-Pod, and my glasses."

There was a moment of silence as the wizards thought about whether to tell her she couldn't bring electronics because they wouldn't work. Ron finally broke it, but for a different reason.

"You wear glasses?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I'm practically blind without them. I wouldn't be able to tell Harry and Mr. Snape apart if I wasn't wearing them."

"Why aren't you wearing them now?"

"I've got my contacts in."

"…What are contacts?"

"You don't know what contacts are?" Ron shook his head. "Wow. They're a lifesaver, lemme tell you. Instead of wearing glasses that make me look like a nerd, I can wear contacts and look completely normal."

"But how do they work?"

"I'm not exactly sure. All I know is you tell your eye doctor you want some, he gives them to you, you go home and put them in. Bingo, you can see, and you don't look like a nerd."

"What d'you by 'put them in'?"

"Well, you— never mind, let me just show you, it'll be easier."

Sam walked to a wall mirror and used two fingers to widen her eyes, taking a third finger and poking it in her eye without blinking. She then took her fingers away; a clear, curved disk perched on one.

"See?" She showed it to the four wizards, and then took a bottle labeled _Opti-Clean_ and squirted some of the liquid into the contact; once again widening her eyes and using a mirror to guide it back in. She blinked, and her eye watered a bit. She went and rummaged through her chest of drawers, coming up with the other items she'd named, putting the laptop and her glasses, which were in a hard case, in her suitcase along with any chargers that she needed. She pocketed her cell phone and i-Pod.

"So, where are we goin'?" she asked.

Snape gestured to the door. "Away from here," he said. "It's quite obvious that your parents are unfit to take care of you. Come along, we're leaving." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sam stopped him. "What time is it?"

"It's about ten-thirty. Why?"

"Am or pm?"

"Am, of course. _Why?_"

"Because that means no one's here. I was just making sure of that. She leaves at ten."

"Your mother?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"For work."

"Oh, what does she do?" Hermione asked.

"She's a hooker. Come on, let's go."

As they were walking down the stairs, a thought hit Sam. "Am I ever coming back?"

"Only to get your things," Snape answered firmly.

"Cool. Hold on a sec."

Sam ran the rest of the way down the stairs, the four wizards following her the best they could. She was in the living room, facing a large picture of David, Emily, and a much younger Sam that was hanging on the wall. She looked at it for a moment, then drew a fist back and punched it right in the middle, sending cracks throughout all of the glass. She walked over to them.

"I've always wanted to do that," she explained. "Come on, let's blow this place."

***_Line Break_***

Snape and Sam were alone in one of the two rooms he'd rented. Or so they thought. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had quietly snuck back in under the Invisibility Cloak after Snape had made them leave. They wanted to see how badly their friend was hurt.

At the moment, Snape was wondering about Sam's hearing. She was listening to her i-Pod so loudly that everyone could hear every word that was being said.

"_Maybe it's some kind of defense,"_ he thought. _"If she listens to it loudly enough, then she won't be able to think about what had happened."_ At least, he hoped that was the reason.

"_Black dress, with the tights underneath._

_I've got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth._

_And she's an actress (actress), but she ain't got no need._

_She's got money from her parents and a trust fund back East._

_T-t-t-tongues, always pressed to your cheeks_

_While my tongue is on the inside of some other girl's teeth._

_T-tell your boyfriend (boyfriend), if he says he's got beef,_

_That I'm a vegetarian, and I ain't f*ck*n' scared of him._

_She wants to touch me, wo-ah_

_She wants to love me, wo-ah_

_She'll never leave me, wo-ah, wo-ah, oh, o-oh._

_Don't trust a hoe,_

_Never trust a hoe,_

_Won't trust a hoe,_

_Don't trust me._

_X's, on the back of your hands…"_

Snape wondered mildly about American teens in general, what with such influences. 'Don't trust a hoe', really. He tapped Sam on the shoulder, and she turned the i-Pod off, removing her ear-buds.

"I've finished with your visible bruises," he said. "Are there any other wounds I need to know about?"

Sam paused a moment, as if debating whether to say yes or not. Finally, she shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" she said, leaning back in her chair and wincing. Snape looked amused.

"Liar. There's something bothering your back. Go lay down; I'll be there in a moment."

Sam wanted to argue, but knew it would be worse for her if she did. "You want me to take my shirt off?" she asked, resigned.

"That would be helpful, yes," Snape replied, his back to her as he compared two different potions.

"'Kay." When she took her shirt off, the three teens had to restrain themselves from gasping. There were bruises, yes, more than they'd care to count; but along with those were angry red and purple blisters, as though she'd been touched with a hot piece of metal.

Snape turned around, a look of shock on his face as he took in the state of her back. He turned back to his bag and grabbed a jar of burn cream. He contemplated asking where the burns came from before healing them, but decided it could wait when he saw the peaceful look on Sam's face; she ,amazingly, slept while listening to her i-Pod, using her rolled-up shirt as a pillow.

"_I wake up every evenin' with a big smile on my face._

_And it never feels out of place. _

_And you're still prob'ly workin' at a ninety-five pace._

_I wonder how bad that tastes._

_When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell._

_When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell._

_If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well,_

_Then he's a fool, it's just as well, hope he gives you hell._

_Now where's that picket fence, love?_

_And where's that shiny car?..."_

As Snape applied the various potions and creams to Sam's back, he thought about David. He had done this to her, that much was for sure, and Snape felt terrible about making her go back home, where this had obviously awaited her. David, when at Hogwarts, had been a true Ravenclaw, always studying, always getting top marks in _everything_. He'd always seemed a distrustful person, though. He'd never bought into James Potter's popularity, or anyone else's for that matter. He hadn't had any friends, though; he'd kept himself to himself mostly.

Snape then remembered Sam's apparent fear of him along with the half-packed suitcase, and wondered what kind of person David had turned into. What could drive a man to hurt his only child like this? Now it made sense to him why Sam was addicted to drugs and alcohol. It was her escape from her home life.

With a newfound understanding of the girl in front of him, Snape gently woke her.

"Sam? Wake up," he said softly. He'd paused her i-Pod a few minutes before, not wanting her to burst her eardrums.

Sam moaned tiredly and turned her face away from him.

"Josh. Cops on our trail again?" she murmured quietly.

"No, Sam. Josh isn't here. It's just you and me, Mr. Snape."

"Mr. Snape. Don't make me go back."

"I won't Sam. Not ever."

"Good…. D'you know what I want?"

"What?"

"A family."

"You already have one."

"They don't count. They're just people. Not family."

"Is there anyone you want to be in your family?"

"Uh-huh. You and Ricky and Alan and Bobby and Zack. Not Josh. Josh can't be family yet."

Snape was surprised, to say the least. He didn't know who the four boys she'd mentioned were, but he could guess. They were most likely four of the five boys she was friends with. Josh, is he remembered correctly, was the blonde from the memories who'd stolen cigarettes and a lighter for her. It seemed those five boys were the only friends she had, and Snape was very pleased to be included in that.

"Will you be part of my family?" Sam asked, sounding like a little girl.

Snape could feel his heart melt a bit. "Yes, of course I'll be part of your family, Sam," he replied.

"Good. It's just you and me for now. Just you and me…" She stirred, and a second later she yawned hugely and pushed herself into a kneeling position. She stayed kneeling there for a moment before realizing Snape was next to her. She grabbed her shirt and threw it on.

"So," she stated. "I guess you have some questions."

Snape sat down next to her. "Yes, I do. But first, you need to know that I don't think any less of you because of this, alright? You also need to know that none of this was your fault. Understand?"

"Okay."

"Now, with that being said, how long has this been going on? Do you remember?"

She nodded. "I remember it exactly. It was my eighth birthday. I said something along the lines of: 'I wish you didn't work, Mom. You should be home more', and he went ballistic on me, yelling about how ungrateful I was. Didn't I know that my mom works hard hours to afford me? She could get rid of me anytime, and I should just be grateful she hasn't realized that I'm not worth it yet."

The pain of the memory showed on her face, and as she recounted the tale, Sam looked progressively closer to tears, and by the time she was finished with her tale she looked to be on the breaking point. Snape did the only thing he could think of; he gently placed his hand on her back and rubbed it in smooth circles. He felt her flinch at first, no doubt not expecting that from him, but eventually she calmed down and allowed him to do so. It was strange to him; someone relying on him for comfort, but he enjoyed it.

"What were the burns on your back from?" Snape asked.

"My dad, of course. A pack of cigarettes fell out of my pocket, and of course it was the open one. He made me give him all the cigarettes I had, along with the lighter. He thought it'd be best if he taught me the dangers of smoking. Apparently, he thinks you can get burned easily by them."

"Oh, Sam. Come here, it's alright now."

Sam turned and buried her face in Snape's shoulder, sobbing, much as she had when she was a very small child. She didn't understand why she was crying, exactly, she'd gone through much worse without shedding a single tear afterwards. The answer was simple; no one had ever shown her simple compassion like this before, as she would never tell her friends what her dad did to her, since most of them had been through it already. What Snape was doing, just letting her cry while he rubbed her back, was making her crumble from the inside.

She forced herself to stop crying, as she well knew it would get her nowhere. She lifted her head from Snape's shoulder, moving so she was just sitting next to him. Snape kept on rubbing her back, feeling that she needed it.

"I have just one more question," he said.

"Oh, yeah? Go ahead."

"Who's Josh?"

"Umm… Why?"

"You were saying 'Josh' in your sleep. Who is he?"

"Oh, uh—he's my boyfriend."

"Really? May we meet him?"

"All of you?"

"Yes. I mean, I'm going to be watching out for you for awhile; I need to know who to kill if someone hurts you, after. And you know they'll want to help. They're quite determined children, actually."

That made Sam smile. "It might be hard for you to kill him; he's almost better at fighting than me. But I don't see why ya'll can't meet him. I mean, with an argument like that… I'll call him. Is a half-hour from now good?"

Snape nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

Sam stood up and grabbed a walkie-talkie from her pocket, sitting back down. She gave it two long squawks, then paused a second before giving it two shorter ones. Snape realized that Sam and her friends most likely had a sort of code for this type of thing. Sam pressed the 'TALK' button, bringing the device to her mouth.

"VampireGirl to WerewolfBoy, come in WerewolfBoy," she said.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other under the Invisibility Cloak, each thinking the same thing. Were they talking about _real_ vampires and werewolves, or were they just ignorant Muggle codenames?

The walkie-talkie crackled to life, a semi-deep teenage voice coming from it.

"Sam! Are you okay? I was going to get everyone some food when I heard the Rock Squad bragging about leaving a girl in some alley. Did they do anything to you? Do I need to go kick some ass?"

"Woah! Calm down, Josh, I'm _okay._ They didn't do anything like what you're thinking to me, they hate me too much. The last time the cops got me I broke their record, remember? They just roughed me up a bit; they felt like they needed to tell me to back off their record. And let's face it; if you went down there alone, it would be _you_ getting' your ass whooped, not them."

Chuckling came from the speaker. "You're right. Which record did you break, again? The 'More Stubborn than a Donkey' record or the 'Got a Mouth like a Pirate' record?"

"Ha-ha, you're so funny. Not. It was something along the lines of 'Most Times Arrested by the Same Officer' record."

"Ah. I bet Officer Blaise is getting annoyed with you by now."

"Nah, he's a good guy, he just got mixed in with the wrong crowd, that's all."

Josh snorted. "Yeah, I bet that's what he says about you."

Sam laughed.

"So what happened?" Josh asked. "Why didn't you just come back last night? We were waiting."

"Simple: my dad came back earlier than expected."

"Oh, God. Did that bastard force you into that goddamned wardrobe again?"

"Yeah."

"That _bastard!_ He _knows_ you're claustrophobic, yet he _still_ shoves you in there! God, I wanna _strangle_ him right now! Are you alright, babe? Did he do anything to you when he let you out this time?"

"I'm fine. He didn't let me out this time, actually. A friend came, and he let me out."

Josh's voice turned cold and quiet. "A friend? Who? Do I know him?"

"Woah, calm down, Josh. Don't get all possessive on me. He's old enough to be my dad. Actually, they went to school together. But anyway, he took me away from my parents, and now he wants to meet you, along with three of his students."

"He's a teacher?"

"Yeah."

"Excuse me?" interrupted Snape, amusement on his face. "Are you calling me old?"

"No; I'm not. I'm just reassuring him he has nothing to worry about. He can get really possessive sometimes."

"Okay," Josh said finally. "I'll meet them. When?"

"Half an hour, but I'll meet you in twenty."

"Alright. Where?"

"You know where the Holiday Inn is? Right across from there, the corner of Bougainvillea and Florida, the side near the old people's activity center. You know where I'm talkin' about, right?"

"Yeah. Okay, that's good. See you in twenty then."

"'Kay. Love ya', Josh."

"Love you, too, Sam. WerewolfBoy, over and out."

"VampireGirl; peace out."

Sam gave the walkie-talkie one long squawk, signaling the all-clear. She dropped the device back into her pocket as Harry, Ron, and Hermione snuck back out of the room.

"WerewolfBoy and VampireGirl? What was that all about?"

Sam reddened a bit, looking embarrassed. "Oh, those are just codenames. You know, in case we need to talk about each other when the cops are around."

"Ah. Did you pick them out yourself?"

"Well, everyone else picked theirs out, but I couldn't think of one, so Josh gave me mine, 'cause of how pale my skin is."

Snape could see how important Josh was to her, and decided that she needed to know she wouldn't be seeing much of him that year. She needed to know that she was a witch, and a powerful one at that, and that she'd be going to Hogwarts, so she could say her good-byes now.

"Sam? Do you know what your father and I have in common?"

She shook her head.

"We're wizards. And you are a witch."

Sam gaped. "You mean as in wands and spells and potions and _real_ magic? Not illusions?"

Snape nodded.

"Prove it."

"Fair enough. Tell me; what's your least favorite colour?" he asked as he pulled his wand out of his sleeve.

"Pink. The brighter the worse."

With an almost imperceptible wave of his wand, Snape said, "Well, that's odd, considering that's your hair colour."

"What?" Sam went into the bathroom; a moment later, Snape heard her shriek. She came running back out, eyes wide, hair a horrible, blinding shade of pink.

"Okay, I believe you; now _please change my hair back!_"

Snape had to restrain himself from laughing at the look on her face as he again waved his wand, changing Sam's hair back to black. She ran into the bathroom again, checking to make sure her hair was completely black. Satisfied, she walked back to Snape.

"Alright," she said slowly, as if trying to figure it out. "You're a wizard. Apparently my dad's one, too. Now you're telling me that _I'm_ one? How?"

"It's generally a genetic thing, but there are some wizards who are born from a family with absolutely none in them."

"Wait—are Harry, Ron, and Hermione wizards, too?"

"Yes. They're quite good at Defense, too, but don't tell them I said that. They'll get swelled heads."

Sam laughed, and then turned serious. "But how do you know? How can you tell?"

Snape frowned in thought. "I don't know, exactly. I'm not the one who decides it; that's the headmaster's job. But there is no doubt you have magic."

"So, if I do; what does that mean?"

"It means that you can go to school."

"You mean like a magic school?"

"I mean _exactly_ a magic school."

"Woah… Wait a sec—is that how you know my dad?"

"Yes, we went to Hogwarts at the same time."

"Oh, yeah! That's the name of the school he told me he went to. 'Cept he told me it's for really smart people."

"Well, he was wrong. Hogwarts is a school for anyone with magical ability, no matter if they're smart or not."

"So do I get to go there? Where is it?"

"It's in Britain, and yes, you do get to go there. That is, if you agree, of course."

"Duh, of _course _I agree! When do we leave?"

The corners of Snape's mouth turned up a bit at the girl's excitement. "Term does not start until September first; although I do believe we will be leaving tomorrow."

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not sure; I have to get in contact with the headmaster first. I do believe that you will be going to the Burrow for your training, though. I need an owl." He said the last part almost to himself.

As if it had heard him, an owl with a pouch attached to its leg stating _"The United States Owl Postal Service" _landed on the windowsill, hooting softly. It waited until Snape opened the window, then it hopped onto the little coffee table. Snape wrote a quick letter using the hotel's pen and paper, conjuring an envelope out of thin air to put it in. He handed the envelope to the owl, who held it in its beak. Sam could see the name on the envelope, _"Albus Dumbledore"_, who was most likely the headmaster. After Snape dropped some strange-looking coins in the pouch, the owl flew away, and Snape shut the window.

Snape turned back around, glancing at the clock. Seeing the time, he strode to the door. "Come, we need to go," he said.

"What? Why?"

"Because you were supposed to meet Josh five minutes ago, and we still need to get the others."

"Oh. That makes sense."

They went to the room across the hall from them, explaining to the trio what was going on, not realizing that they already knew. A few minutes later, the five were in an elevator heading down to the lobby. As soon as the doors opened, Sam power-walked to the doors, the four wizards hurrying to catch up to her.

They stepped outside; shielding their eyes, for the sun was just low enough that it shone directly into their eyes. Sam spotted Josh on the opposite corner, and she sped out across the street, ignoring the crosswalk sign that clearly stated to 'WAIT'.

"What on earth is she doing?" asked Hermione. "She could be hit!"

But Sam wasn't hit. She was quite good at dodging cars, it seemed. She made it to the other side quite easily without harm, laughing all the way.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," she said to Josh when she got to him.

Josh didn't say anything, but gazed at her intensely, eventually reaching down and tilting her chin up until their eyes met. Wordlessly, he caught her lips with his, embracing her at the same time.

On the other side of the street, the four wizards watched them, waiting for the crosswalk sign to change to 'WALK'.

"Erm," said Ron uncomfortably, "why are they snogging in public?"

"I heard that it's not such a big deal here," answered Harry.

Finally, the crosswalk sign changed to 'WALK', and the four wizards crossed the street, getting to the other side just as Josh and Sam broke apart.

"What the hell was that for?" asked Sam.

Josh smiled. "For making me worry," he replied.

Sam punched him in the shoulder playfully. "How many times do I have to tell you not to worry about me?"

Josh noticed the four wizards watching them, and he placed an arm around Sam's waist protectively. "What're you lookin' at?" he asked them.

Sam saw who Josh was talking to. "Oh, there you are. These are the friends I was talking about, Josh." She gestured to each person in turn as she made the introductions. "Josh, meet Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Mr. Snape. Guys, meet Josh."

The three teens waved, while Snape stepped forward to shake Josh's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Josh," he said.

"Uh, nice to meet you, too, uh, Mr. Snape." A thought then hit Josh. "Hey, are you the friend Sam was talking about? The one who came and took her out of the wardrobe?"

"Yes, that would be me. Although I did have some help from these three."

Josh gave a real smile. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Uh, Mr. Snape?" Sam interrupted. "Do you mind if Josh and I go hang out for a little? I mean, 'cause of school and all." Josh gave her a quizzical look.

"Of course, Sam. Just be back by dark, please. More unkind things tend to happen at night, and we wouldn't want anything like that to happen to you, now would we?"

Sam understood what he was talking about, and she smiled. "Of course not. I'll be back before it gets dark. See you later!" She waved.

"Have fun, and be safe, Sam."

She took Josh's hand, and together they walked away, Sam turning around and quickly flashing the four wizards the peace sign before turning back around. The four that were left behind waved, and then went back to the hotel, Snape hoping that he hadn't just made a big mistake.

***_Line Break_***

About two hours later, it was dark, and Sam hadn't come back. Ron and Harry were playing Wizard's chess as Hermione looked on, and Snape was reading a book, or rather trying to. He'd been on the same line for five minutes, his mind a mile away. He was wondering about where Sam had gone; she should've been there by dark, and that was thirty minutes ago.

His tension wasn't helped by the fact that they'd heard police sirens very close by only forty-five minutes ago. Snape was quickly becoming a bundle of nerves, and was quickly becoming irritated because of it. The hotel phone rang, making everyone jump about a foot in the air. Snape strode over to the desk where it was resting and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Snape?"

"Sam! Where are you? Are you alright?"

He heard sniffles. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where on earth have you been? I was worried out of my mind!"

He heard more sniffles. "I need your help."

"Whatever with? Sam, what's going on?"

"Please don't be mad, okay?"

"I won't be mad, just tell me where you are." Snape was getting worried. What had happened?

There was a pause before she answered. "I—I got arrested."

* * *

**Oh, look at that! I left you a cliffie! Enjoy! Lol, but I hoped you liked it. My next update should be August 9th at the latest, but maybe before then. If you review, I'll write faster, and then you'll get an update faster. Don't you just love how that works? I do. Until next time! ~(^_^)~**

**~artyluvr (Kendall)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3!!! I'm updating two days early!! So there! Enjoy!**

**_Disclaimer: I'm not British; therefore I'm not J.K. Rowling and I don't own anything that belongs to her._  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Bailout and Meetings**

_From chapter two…_

"_I—I got arrested."_

***_Line Break_***

Snape's eyes widened. "What?"

He could hear sniffling, and guessed Sam was crying. "I—I got arrested. I'm so stupid!" she said.

"What did you get arrested for? Wait, don't tell me; you were stealing, correct? With your friends, perhaps? Did they say it was 'for old time's sakes'? Please tell me at least you weren't stealing beer or cigarettes."

"Actually, I was the one who said that. And, I wish I could tell you we weren't swiping beer, but I'd be lying."

"So, why are you calling? What am I supposed to do? I can't exactly come and break you out, you know."

"I know, I'm not asking you to. 'Cause I'm a minor, the judge will assign bail, 'cause they're tryin' to keep kids outta juvie, you know? But they won't do it if I don't have someone, an adult, who will pay it."

"What are you saying, Sam?"

"I'm asking for a favor. I shouldn't ask you, but you're the only one I _can_ ask."

"Just tell me what it is; you're making yourself frantic."

"I'm asking if you'll pay bail for me, if you can. But only if you can."

"Well, let's say I said 'yes'. How much would it be?"

"Um, I don't know, exactly. You see, it differs every time. But it's a _lot_, which is why I didn't really wanna ask you."

"Don't worry, Sam; of course I'll pay it."

She sniffed again. "Thanks."

"Are you alright? What's the matter?"

She started to sniff again, but then tried to catch herself. "Nothing. What makes you say that?"

The corners of Snape's mouth turned up a bit, even though Sam couldn't see it. "If you're going to lie to me then at least put some effort into it."

Sam laughed a little bit. "You're right. I'm fine, really, it's just—some of my friends got caught 'cause of me, and they don't have anyone to pay bail for 'em. So they're gonna get landed in juvie for a couple of years, and it's all my fault!"

"Alright, first of all, stop blaming yourself. All that will do is make you an emotional wreck, and that's the last thing you need right now. Second of all, it was their choice of whether to go or not. They could've said, 'No, I'm not going to go with you, because if I get caught then I'll go to juvie.' But they didn't, and they chose to go, so they only have themselves to blame. Lastly, there's something to be learned from all this. I'm not going to tell you what it is, though; I'll let you figure that out for yourself."

"Thanks for that, Mr. Snape. I—," Sam stopped, and Snape could hear someone talking to her in the background. "Sorry, my ten minutes are up; I have to go. Don't hang up, though; someone's gonna tell you what's goin' on, 'kay?"

"Alright, Sam; I'll see you soon."

"'Bye, Mr. Snape."

"Good-bye, Sam."

A minute passed where Snape could hear what was going on in the room, such as the clacking of handcuffs, along with someone telling Sam. "Lucky for you, you had a friend who's willin' to pay off you're bail like that. What happened to daddy, huh?"

Sam's voice was steely as she answered. "Not gonna do it no more. Said he ain't payin' bail ever again. More like he don't want the headache that's my public record."

"Amen to that, girl. Amen to that. I wouldn't want that either."

Snape heard another person enter the room. "Shut up and get her outta here," they said. They picked up the phone. "Hello? This is Officer Blaise speaking. Are you the one Samantha called?"

"Yes, that's correct," Snape answered.

"Well, I'm here to inform you of the implications of Samantha's arrest, but first I need to ask you a few questions. Purely routine, I assure you. Any and all answers that you give will be recorded for future reference."

"Of course."

"First off, could you tell me your first and last name, please?"

"My name is Severus Snape."

"Spelled like it sounds?"

"Yes."

"Okay, and could you please tell me what your relationship is in connection to Samantha?"

"I am a friend."

"Thank you. And are you a resident of the United States?"

"No, I am not."

"Of what country are you a resident of?"

"The United Kingdom."

"The U.K., huh? That's pretty cool."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. One last question: Are you willing to pay bail money for Samantha?"

"Yes, I am."

"Alright, now that's over. Here's the part where I tell you the specifics of Samantha's arrest and of her trial."

"Do continue."

"Alright, so she was arrested for the robbery of Publix on July second, at eight o'clock p.m. Among the stolen goods were approximately six six-packs of Bud Light beer and about four to nine packages of Marlboro brand cigarettes."

"Really?"

"Yes, sir. Samantha is, as such, charged with robbery and underage possession of drugs and alcohol. The consequences will be less harsh than if any of the cans or packages had been open, remember that."

"Alright."

"Her trial is tomorrow at ten o'clock in the morning at the local courthouse. Do you know where that is?"

"No, I do not."

"Alright, I'll come and pick you up, then, since I have to be there anyway. Are you staying in a hotel?"

"Yes. The Holiday Inn."

"Alright, I'll pick you up at a quarter of ten. Will anyone be going with you?"

"Yes. Three teenagers."

"Alright, I have room for them in the back. I guess that's it, then. Make sure you will be able to pay the money up front, and we do take foreign checks."

"Alright; thank you, Officer."

"No problem. And, sir, if I may say one more thing?"

"Of course."

"It's on a more personal note. I've handled her cases every time, and I've made this call a lot. About thirty-seven times, actually. This is the first time I've seen Sam so torn up about being arrested."

"Oh, really? Do you know why?"

"I think so. Every time, her father has paid bail without even glancing at the cost. We allow two calls per person, because of the age of most of the inmates here. This is just between you and me, but, she called her house first, and I could hear her dad yelling at her from outside the room. He's fed up with her getting arrested; he made that obvious. I swear to you, I have never seen that girl so upset. Not at the fact that he yelled at her, that didn't affect her at all. She broke down, saying that if she got sent to juvie she wouldn't be able to leave tomorrow. Do you know what that's about?"

Snape was surprised. "Yes, I do. I was going to take her with me tomorrow to a school in Britain. I didn't know she was looking forward to it so."

"Well, apparently she is. I asked her where I could contact someone else, and she asked me if she should call you. She said, 'I've only known him for a day. What'll he think if I ask him for bailout money so soon?' She was really thinking of you, sir."

"Really? Thank you for letting me know."

"No, problem, sir. Between you and me, I don't think her parents were treating her well; she's always out wandering somewhere."

"No, they weren't."

"Ah, well, in that case, does this mean you'd want to be her legal guardian? We can do that without her parents' consent if they aren't treating her well."

"I'd have to speak with her first."

"Okay, but if you decide that's what you want, just let me know, alright?"

"Alright, thank you, Officer."

"No problem. I'll see you outside the Holiday Inn tomorrow at a quarter to ten, okay?"

"Yes, good-bye."

"Good-bye."

Snape put the phone down and turned around, seeing that the Golden Trio had been listening the whole time, and now they were trying to make it seem like they hadn't.

"If you're going to eavesdrop then at least be sneaky about it."

The three teens gave Snape a look that said, _"Who, us? Never."_ Snape gave them a look right back that said, _"Yes, you. I watched you."_

"Is Sam alright?" asked Ron.

"Yes, she is, in a way. She's not dead on the side of the road or running around drunk and high, but she got arrested."

"She did?" asked Hermione. "Was she stealing?"

"Yes, she was," replied Snape. "Apparently she and her friends decided that it would be fun to go and steal six six-packs of beer and anywhere from four to nine packs of cigarettes. They were caught, and now she is in a holding cell, where she'll be staying for the night. Tomorrow there will be a trial to decide how much bail should be, and then we will get her back."

"But, is her dad paying bail?" asked Harry. "If he is, doesn't that mean that she'll go back with him?"

"Usually, you would be correct, Potter, but David flat-out refused to pay bail one more time. Apparently he's tired of the headache that is her criminal side."

"So who's going to pay bail?"

"I am. Wizarding money is worth more than Muggle money, and Gringotts is able to do the transfer. It's a little-known service they have. You write a check, and they exchange the gold for Muggle money."

"They can do that?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, they can, Ms. Granger, and because Muggle money is worth less than Wizard money, whatever amount they decide will be easy to pay."

Just at that moment, a light brown owl came and pecked on the window. Snape opened the window and took a letter out of the owl's beak. He tore open the envelope, reading the letter inside.

"_Dear Severus,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health. It is unfortunate to have found Samantha in such a state as which you four found her in, but in a way it is for the best; knowing as much about her as we can will help her. Enclosed is a portkey, set to go off at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning, your time, of course. It will take you to the Burrow, where there are more than enough witches and wizards to train Samantha thrice over. You will leave Samantha, along with Ms. Granger and__ Mssrs__. Potter and Weasley at the Burrow, where they will spend the remainder of their summer. _

_Good wishes to you all._

_Prof. Albus Dumbledore"_

Snape read the letter, and then read it again. He had to leave Sam at the Burrow? Why couldn't he just take her to Hogwarts, where most of the teachers spent their summers there anyway? She could get lessons from the ones who actually taught them to begin with, and it was far safer there than anywhere else.

"Professor Snape, what does the letter say?" asked Hermione.

"It says that tomorrow at eleven o' clock the portkey enclosed in the envelope will be taking us to the Burrow. That means that we cannot afford to dally when we are at the trial tomorrow."

His statement set off a veritable barrage of questions from the three teens. He waved his hand, signaling for them to be quiet.

"You are coming with me tomorrow for Sam's trial; a policeman is coming at a quarter of ten to get us. Now, no more questions, go to bed; it's getting late, and you'll need to be completely packed by the time we leave for the trial tomorrow, as there'll be no time afterwards. Now go."

The three teens said good-night, and left for their own room. Snape shut the door behind them and sighed. _"Why did Sam have to get herself arrested right before we leave?"_ he thought.

As he got ready for bed, he thought about how Sam was addicted to smoking and alcohol. He wondered how far back the addiction went, and why she had done it to begin with. He also wondered if what he'd seen was the worst she'd been hurt, or if she'd been hurt worse. Snape climbed into the hotel's bed and knew he wouldn't get much sleep that night.

***_Line Break_***

The next morning found Snape knocking on the door across from him. Hermione answered, looking exasperated.

"Professor Snape, thank God you're here," she said. "Ron woke up, got dressed, and crawled back in bed, and now we can't get him to get up."

Snape sighed as he stepped inside the room, pulling out his wand. "There's always one," he muttered. He saw that Harry had given up; he was just sitting on the second bed. Ron was lying on top of the sheets, dead to the world. "Mr. Weasley, you would do best to get up now," Snape told him.

Ron just covered his head with his pillow. "No, go 'way," he said groggily.

Snape waved his wand, and a waterfall seemed to be emptying itself on Ron's head. He sat up, gasping, only to find he was dry.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" he shouted, only to turn red when he realized he was shouting at Snape. Snape slid his wand up his sleeve, a corner of his mouth turning up.

"_That_ happened to be a particularly tricky Charm that has amusing results. Come now, put your shoes, we need to be downstairs in two minutes."

Ron threw his shoes on, not wanting to make the professor angry. "Let's go," he said. A few minutes later, they were all downstairs waiting for Officer Blaise to arrive. When he did, they piled into his police cruiser, and they headed to the courthouse, arriving just minutes before Sam's trial was scheduled to begin. They sat down in the witness's section and waited for the trial to begin.

The judge picked up a manila folder and looked at it. "Trial number four-two-seven-five, Samantha Biluxy," she said. She put the folder down. "Bring her in."

A door to the right of the judge's stand opened, and Sam was brought out by a police officer. She was dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit that said "Brevard County JDC" on the back. She was handcuffed with her wrists behind her, and no longer did she look like she was confident with herself. Before, she had stood straight up, never looking down, and her eyes always bright. Now she was slumped over, looking at the floor, keeping her gaze averted from everyone and everything. The light in her eyes had gone out. She was brought over to a bench, and the police officer made her sit down.

"Samantha," the judge said, making her look up, "how many times do we have to go through this before you learn to stay out of trouble?"

Sam shrugged, and looked back down.

The judge sighed. "Fine, be that way. Do you have someone who is willing to pay bail?"

Sam nodded.

"Would the aforementioned benefactor please stand up?"

Snape paused a moment, and then stood up. Officer Blaise had mentioned this part to him on their way to the trial. The judge clearly looked surprised that David wasn't the one standing.

"Very well," she said, trying to collect herself. "Are you aware of your role as Samantha's benefactor?"

"I am," Snape replied.

"Very well, then. I am going to assign twenty-five thousand dollars as bail. Dismissed."

The police officer at the front removed Sam's handcuffs, taking her back through the door she'd come out in. Officer Blaise had told him about this part also. The officer would take her to where they were holding her normal clothes and her personal belongings. After she got changed, he would bring her to the courthouse lobby and return her to them.

The four wizards had just finished writing their check, after they'd figured out how many British Pounds twenty-five thousand dollars were (fourteen thousand, eight hundred and forty-three), and they had just gotten to the lobby when Sam came out of a door, followed by the officer.

"'Kay, thanks Officer Greg," she was saying. Then she spotted Snape and the three teens. "Oh, hey guys!" she greeted them. She was shocked when Hermione raced forward to give her a huge hug.

"Uh, Hermione, can you let go of me please?" she asked, looking uncomfortable. Hermione stepped back quickly.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "It's just that we didn't know what had happened! We thought something terrible had happened to you!"

Sam looked distinctly uncomfortable with this. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to."

Snape stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arms' length and looking at her right in the eyes. "You don't have to say you're sorry, just don't do it again," he said gently yet firmly. Sam nodded.

"Okay."

Snape let go of her shoulders and tousled her hair with one hand. "Good. Now let's get back."

"What time are we leaving?" Sam asked, remembering that they were supposed to leave that day.

"Eleven o'clock. It's Ten-thirty now; we need to hurry."

Just then Officer Blaise walked up. "Hey, you guys still need a lift? I'd be glad to help."

"Thank you, that would be great," replied Snape.

They all trooped out to his car, but when they started to get in, they noticed a problem. The policeman's car could only hold a total of five people, and there were six of them all together.

"Oh, come on, Officer Blaise," Sam pleaded. "Can't we just double-buckle? Just this once? Come on, have a heart."

The man thought for a moment before giving in. "Alright, just this once," he conceded.

"Um, how do we do that?" asked Ron.

Sam started giving directions. "Okay, Harry, you go first. Sit behind Mr. Snape, and after you put your seatbelt on, scoot over as close to the door as you can." After he'd done so, Sam turned to Hermione. "You're gonna sit in the middle, Hermione. Get in and put your seatbelt, and after you've done that, scoot over as close to Harry as you can." After she'd done so, Sam got in, scooting as close to Hermione as she could. Ron got in after her, shutting the door.

"Sam, how's this going to work?" asked Harry. "Only Hermione and I are buckled."

"That's why it's called a 'double-buckle', Harry. Ron and I are going to share a seatbelt. Ron, hand me the seatbelt, please."

Ron did so, and Sam stretched it as far as it would go, across both her and Ron, then stood up a little and buckled it, sitting back down. "See? Double-buckle."

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Hermione asked, referring to how she had to sit on the buckle.

"No, not really. I've gotten used to it by now."

"By now?" interrupted Officer Blaise, looking at her in the review mirror. They'd pulled onto the main road by then. "Exactly how often have you done this?"

Sam went red. "Um, never? Yeah, never. I've _totally_ never done anything like this before in my life." She gave him a sheepish smile, hoping he would drop the subject.

He nodded once. "Good. Let's keep it that way."

The rest of the ride back was full of Sam and Officer Blaise chatting about multiple things, such as how his kids were doing, what was up in the policing world, and other things like that. When they got to the hotel, Sam seemed almost a little bit reluctant to leave. Almost. They went up to Snape's room, and Sam immediately went to the bed, belly-flopping onto it with a contented sigh.

"Get up," Snape said. "We're leaving in fifteen minutes."

"So? Fifteen minutes is plenty of time for a cat-nap."

"Yes, but if you fall asleep, you'll probably never wake up."

"Aw, come on, just a _little_ nap? A _little_ one?"

"No. We need to leave."

Sam sighed, knowing she was beaten. "Fine. I'm up."

"Is everything in your suitcase?"

"Yeah, I didn't take anything out yesterday."

Snape nodded and took out his wand, muttering a few spells that rendered the suitcase to the size and weight of a quarter. Going to the room across them, he did the same to Ron, Harry, and Hermione's suitcases.

"Come, we need to go find an alley we can leave in," Snape said, and he started to leave before he was stopped by Sam.

"Huh? How're we gettin' wherever we're goin'?"

Snape kept walking. "I'll explain on the way."

As the five wizards left the building in search of an alley, Snape explained to Sam how a Portkey worked. Sam directed them to an alley that was dark even in the middle of the day, and Snape took out the coin, looking at his watch. It was ten fifty-nine.

"Everyone put a finger on it."

They did so, and a few seconds later they got the feeling of being hooked behind the navel. A moment later, they were thrown against the ground. Standing up, they saw that they were about three hundred yards away from a strange-looking building. It looked like it had originally been a stone pig pen, but there were so many additions to it that it looked a bit like it was trying to touch its toes.

"Where are we?" asked Sam.

Ron answered her, with a euphoric look on his face. "This is the Burrow, just outside a village called Ottery St. Catchpole."

"Okay… Wait, so we're somewhere in Britain now?"

"Yeah."

"Woah, freaky."

The five started making their way to the building, Sam still getting over the fact that it was night at the Burrow when it had just been the middle of the day a few seconds before. When they got to the front door, Ron just opened it without knocking, startling Sam.

"What the hell's he doin'?" she asked Hermione quietly. "Why didn't he knock?"

"This is his house," answered Hermione. "He doesn't need to knock."

"Oh."

They all trooped inside, Sam going last. The first room they saw coming inside was a kitchen. At first it seemed empty, but after a moment Sam noticed a short, plump woman with fiery red hair just like Ron's working; most likely she was making dinner. She turned around and jumped about a foot in the air, surprised to see people standing in her kitchen.

"Don't _do_ that, Ronald, you know it scares me half to death," she said, then walked forward and gave her son a hug. "How are you?"

"Fine, mum," Ron mumbled, looking embarrassed.

"And Harry and Hermione as well! I hope you've been well." She hugged them as well.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley, yeah, we've been great," said Harry.

"Good, good. Severus, you've come as well! I trust you've been getting along."

"Yes, Molly, thank you."

It was then that Mrs. Weasley noticed Sam, who'd stepped partially into the shadows. "And is this Samantha?"

Sam stepped forward. "Call me Sam, please."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Sam, then. How do you do? I'm Ronald's mother."

"Nice to meet you."

Mrs. Weasley looked her over. "My, my, you're much too thin. And you, too Harry! Come, to the table, all of you."

Sam looked confused until Ron whispered to her, "She likes to cook. Be careful, you're in danger of over-feeding now."

Sam nodded, and they all sat down at the table, Mrs. Weasley already setting plates in front of them. Snape made sure he was seated next to Sam; he was feeling strangely protective of her. As they started eating, a girl walked downstairs. She had fire-engine red hair just like Ron and Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum, can you _please_ tell Fred and George that they can't use my personal belongings as test subjects for their pranks?" she asked.

Mrs. Weasley didn't even look up from her cooking. "Tell them that I say that if they use your personal belongings, they will be de-gnoming the lawn for a month."

The girl looked delighted to hear this, and started climbing up the stairs before noticing the little party at the table. She stopped and walked over to them, smiling.

"Hello Ron, Harry, Hermione, Professor Snape." She then noticed Sam. "Are you Samantha?"

Sam just barely resisted slapping her hand to her face as she answered. "It's Sam."

"Hello, Sam. Well, I'm going to go tell Fred and George about their future of de-gnoming the lawn." She left rather quickly, and Ron gave Sam an apologetic look.

"You're really gonna get it now," he told her.

"What d'you mean?"

"Did you notice how fast she moved? I'll give it ten seconds before everyone comes down."

Sam placed a hand to her head, resting her elbow on the table. "Oh, geez."

True to Ron's prediction, not much time passed before people started coming downstairs, all with bright red hair. They sat down at the table and started talking at once.

"Hey, Ron, how—,"

"Oi, Harry, are you ready for—,"

"Looking forward to—,"

"Professor Snape, what a—,"

"Hey, who's—,"

Sam sat there trying not to be noticed, simply eating the food that had been placed in front of her. Everyone around her was talking, and she couldn't keep up with anyone. A balding man was sitting on the other side of her, and he was talking to Snape before he noticed the black-haired girl next to him.

"Hello. Are you Samantha?" he asked.

Sam swallowed and looked up at him. "Just Sam, please. I'm assuming you're related to Ron?"

The man laughed. "Yes, I'm his father."

"Ah."

Mr. Weasley lowered his voice. "To tell you the truth, sometimes I'm not sure whether I'm the head of a family or a three-ring circus."

Sam looked at him oddly for a moment before laughing, gaining the attention of everyone at the table. They then all tried talking to her at once.

Sam looked from one person to another, completely lost. She couldn't follow what anyone was saying. Mr. Weasley saved her by holding up his hands, signaling for quiet.

"Everyone, this _is_ Samantha, but she would like to be called Sam. Sam, this is Fred, George, Ginny, and Percy, my other children."

"Hey," Sam said weakly, surprised by everyone's enthusiasm.

"So," asked Fred, "are you the Yankee that's coming to Hogwarts next year?"

Sam crossed her arms, looking insulted. "I ain't no Yankee. Who told you that?"

"Um, well, aren't Americans Yankees?"

"No, that's only the North'ners. I'm a South'ner. Again, I ain't no Yankee."

"There's a difference?"

"Yeah, there're huge differences between bein' a North'ner, South'ner, East'ner, West'ner, or Midwest'ner. But the biggest differences are between North'ners and South'ners."

"Like what?"

"We speak differently, like different things, act differently, things like that."

"Really? Wow."

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it, though. Technically I'm an East'ner, not a South'ner. But I like to call myself a South'ner."

This gave Fred something to think about, and while he was silent, Percy took over. "Are you excited to go to Hogwarts? I mean, of course you are, considering how great a school it is; but how excited _are_ you?"

"Um, not really that excited, actually. It's just another school."

"What do you mean, 'just another school'? Surely you've heard the stories about how wonderful it is?"

"Nope."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Just that. I never heard 'bout it 'till Mr. Snape told me 'bout it."

"What? Your parents never told you?"

Sam looked down, suddenly interested in her food. "No, they didn't. I didn't even know there were such things as witches and wizards before I met Mr. Snape, much less the fact that my own father's one."

Percy looked sorry he'd brought the subject up. "Oh."

Mr. Weasley saw that the mood had turned uncomfortable. "So, Sam, what's it like, living in America? Which state do you live in, again?"

Sam looked back up, eyes bright. "Florida. A city called Rockledge. It's great. It never gets cold; it's only snowed, like, once, a long time ago. In the summer it's hot and humid, but we get a great breeze from the ocean, 'cause we're so close to it. We can go to the beach almost every day, s'long as it's not storming. We don't have to worry 'bout tornadoes or earthquakes, just hurricanes, but there ain't many we have to worry 'bout. Sometimes you have to worry 'bout flooding, but not often. The only things we have to look out for are thunderstorms, which happen like every afternoon in the summer. Overall, I love it; I think I'm gonna live there my whole life."

Mr. Weasley smiled; glad she was enjoying talking about her home. "That sounds wonderful; maybe we'll come visit you there someday."

"Really? That'd be awesome!"

Mrs. Weasley came out at that moment, heaping more food onto their plates. Sam looked surprised yet happy at the amounts of food that were being put onto each plate. She looked up at Mrs. Weasley.

"Thanks; it's really good," she said, referring to the spaghetti and meatballs on her plate.

Mrs. Weasley looked embarrassed. "Oh, it's nothing, I'm sure your mother could do better."

Sam shook her head. "Nuh-uh. My mom doesn't cook."

Mrs. Weasley looked surprised. "Oh, really? Does your father cook, then?"

"No, he's almost never home."

"So, do you cook?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, right. I can't cook worth anythin'."

Mrs. Weasley looked confused. "Then do you have people to cook for you, like servants?"

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh, no. No, no, no. If we had servants, we'd get mobbed. No way."

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cause it's true. It's just _very_ highly frowned on to have servants. People that come every once in a while to do some housework? Yes. People who live there twenty-four/ seven to do nothing but chores all day? No way. It's just a culture thing."

Mrs. Weasley still wasn't satisfied. "Then what do you do for meals?"

"Well, my mom leaves for work around ten, so I assume she grabs breakfast on her way. She doesn't get home 'till 'bout nine at night, so I guess she eats lunch and dinner at work."

"What does your mother do?"

Sam quickly became entranced with a piece of wall next to Mrs. Weasley's head. "I—I don't know." She looked back at Mrs. Weasley, trying to get back on the topic of food. "I usually just eat with my friends. We go to someone's house for breakfast and dinner; we usually skip lunch, depending on what we're doing."

"Oh, really? All of your friends?"

"Yeah, there's six of us altogether. There's me and Josh and Ricky and Alan and Bobby and Zack. We usually go to Alan's for breakfast and Bobby's for dinner. If we have lunch, we go to Zack's."

"You and five boys."

Sam saw the look on her face and sighed. "Mrs. Weasley, I know what you're about to say. I've heard it all before; I need girlfriends, I shouldn't spend so much time with them, I shouldn't have so many all-nighters with them, they could take advantage of me, but it's _not_ gonna happen. First off, we've known each other for years, so I don't think anythin' funky's gonna happen between us. Second off, almost every single girl in Rockledge is always 'Like, _oh_ my God, did you _hear_ what Jake Ryan said to me? He, like totally said, 'Hey'! Oh, my _God_, it was _so_ meant to _be_ with us!' Yeah, they aren't my type of people. And another thing; they would _never _try to take advantage of me, we're like siblings, and they know that if they tried they'd be on the ground in five seconds."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm the best fighter of us. And also, if someone tried to do that, the others would be all over them in two seconds. They would never know what hit 'em."

"I see. I'm sorry, I was just concerned."

Sam smiled. "I know; I'm just really sick of people tellin' me that."

George jumped in, asking Sam question upon question, which she answered easily, as long as she didn't give anything about her criminal side away. It wasn't long before Sam was full, warm, and happy; she had a hard time not nodding off. She started dozing, and Snape noticed this. George was in the middle of another question.

"So, what's school like, over—,"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think she's fully awake," Snape cut in.

"Really?" George looked at her; sure enough, she was almost asleep in her seat. Mrs. Weasley looked at the clock.

"My goodness, it's already past ten! Upstairs, everyone, we can continue tomorrow."

Her children groaned, but got up and left the table anyway, Harry and Hermione following them; remembering where they'd stayed before. Sam was left unsure of where to go.

"Molly?" Snape asked quietly. "Which room is Sam's?"

"It's on the third floor, the second room on the left, why?"

"I'm going to make sure she gets there."

Mrs. Weasley looked surprised. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I'll explain later." He went over to Sam, who was nodding off in her chair, and he didn't touch her before he spoke to her. He leaned down and spoke quietly in her ear.

"Come along, Sam, are you tired?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, 'm tired," the girl mumbled.

"Come on, then, let's get you upstairs, alright?" He helped her stand up, and he started to lead her to the stairs.

"M'kay, Mr. Snape." Sam yawned hugely and rubbed her eyes.

"Now promise me you won't stay up all night listening to your i-Pod, alright?"

Sam chuckled. "Promise."

Mrs. Weasley watched the Potions professor as he led the girl up the stairs. She'd never seen him act so kindly like that. She went over to her husband.

"Have you noticed Severus acting—strangely?" she asked.

"You mean by how he was acting towards Sam? Yes, I did notice."

"It's nice, but sort of—I don't know—odd, coming from him."

"No, he's just acting like a normal person. It's almost like he sees himself as a parent."

The couple heard footsteps on the stairs, and knew Snape was back. It wasn't long before they could see him.

"Is she asleep?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Snape nodded before sitting down. "There are some things you should know about Sam."

"Does it have to do with why you had to make sure she got upstairs?"

"Yes. I don't know how much Albus told you, though. Why don't we start with that?"

Arthur spoke up. "All he told us was that she didn't get into the American schools, and her parents wanted her to go to Hogwarts. We truthfully don't know any more than that."

Snape sighed. "Then I guess it's up to me to tell you everything else. The reason I said that earlier is because she's a juvenile delinquent at home. She's been arrested more times than any teen should be. She almost never goes home; she simply stays out with her friends all day and night. They rob stores on almost a daily basis, always stealing beer and cigarettes."

The Weasley parents looked horrified. "Do they sell them?"

"No, they use them. Every one of her friends, including her, are addicted to cigarettes and are quickly becoming alcoholics. They get in fights all the time; the local gangs hate them because they get caught fewer times than them. The police know them by name; she knows almost everything about one officer."

Mrs. Weasley looked stunned. "But why? Why do they do those things?"

"I don't know about her friends, but I do know why Sam does all that. Her mother simply ignores her; but when she doesn't, she's overbearing and threatening. Do you remember David Biluxy, the Ravenclaw in my year that had almost no friends?"

Arthur nodded his head. "Yes, I do. Is he her father?"

"Yes, he is. But he's changed a lot, and for the worse. He's almost never home; apparently he's gone for months at a time, and when he comes home he's flat-out abusive to Sam."

Mrs. Weasley looked mortified. "Oh, the poor girl, is she alright?"

"Yes, she's fine. We were only there for two days, but we saw a lot of what her life is like. The first day we were there, she'd run into one of the gangs that don't like her. We found her in an alley, beaten almost unconscious. I believe it would've been something like six against one. I healed her, and we took her home, although she didn't want to go back. We convinced her to go, and we walked her to the door to make sure she got there. David was home, and we spoke with him for a little while before leaving. We noticed that Sam seemed to be afraid of him, but we didn't think anything of it. On the second day, we went to her house to speak with her, and her mother just waved us in, telling us where to go and leaving. She didn't ask questions or anything. When we got to her room…"

The Weasleys could see regret in his black eyes, and were afraid to ask what happened there.

"What happened?" Molly asked gently.

"There was a very strong Silencing Charm on the room. I took it down, and we could hear crying. It wasn't long before we figured out that it was coming from her wardrobe, which had been barred shut. We opened it, and Sam was inside, black and blue all over, crying. It seemed like she'd been there overnight. She wouldn't let anyone touch her, but eventually we got her out and calmed her down. Ms. Granger packed up a suitcase for her; apparently it was already halfway packed. We took her back to the hotel we were staying at, and…"

Snape had to take a calming breath before he could continue speaking. He was furious at David. How he could do such things to her!

"…And I healed her. On her back were horrible blisters, and she told me that they were there because David had found cigarettes in her pockets, and decided that burning her with them would be a fitting punishment. After she was healed, the five of us went and met up with her boyfriend, Josh. I let her go with him to meet up with their other friends, seeing as she wouldn't see them for a while. They went and got themselves arrested, and earlier today we had to go and get her. Then we brought her here, and you know the rest."

Molly's eyes were glistening with tears. "Oh my, that poor girl. What she must've gone through…"

Arthur didn't say anything; he just sat on the sofa, staring at the wall.

"I can't believe I was so incredibly _naive_ as to let her go. I should've known they would get themselves arrested. And I shouldn't have made her go home. If I hadn't, she'd have never been hurt…"

Arthur gently shook his head, much like a dog does to rid himself of water. "Now, Severus, don't you blame yourself for that. It wasn't your fault; there was no way you could've known that would happen. I assume you're coming back tomorrow?"

"Yes, thank you, Arthur. But before I go, do you mind if I go check on her? She brought her cell phone and i-Pod; I wouldn't be surprised if she's staying up and listening to music while text messaging."

The Weasleys looked surprised at his request.

"No, we wouldn't mind as long as you let us come with you."

"Of course."

The three adults walked up the stairs to Sam's room. Quietly Snape opened the door, his companions looking into the dark room with him. Sam was asleep, and it looked like she'd fallen asleep while listening to her i-Pod. The little device was still running, and they could, again, hear the words clearly.

"_I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be. (Hey!)_

_A little gamblin' is fun when you're with me. (I love it.)_

_Russian roulette is not the same without a gun._

_And baby when it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun._

_Oh, o-oh oh oh__, o-o-oh oh oh._

_I'll get him hot; show him what I've got._

_Oh, o-oh oh oh, o-o-oh oh oh._

_I'll get him hot; show him what I've got._

_Can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my Pokerface._

_(She has got me like nobody.)_

_Can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my Pokerface._

_(She has got me like nobody.)_

_P-p-p-pokerface, p-p-pokerface._

_(My, my, my, my.)_

_P-p-p-pokerface, p-p-pokerface._

_(My, my, my, my.)_

_I won't tell you that I love you…"_

The corners of Snape's mouth turned up a bit as he went over to turn the i-Pod off. He gently removed the earbuds from her ears and placed the device on her bedside table. He looked at the sleeping girl, brushing a piece of her hair away from her face.

"Good-night, Sam," he said softly. He got a contented sigh in return.

Snape walked back into the hallway.

"I'll be back tomorrow. Good-night," he told the Weasleys, who'd watched him the whole time. He walked briskly down the stairs and out the front door, thinking that he would've liked to keep Sam at his house.

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**Woot! Done with Chapter 3! Up next, chapter 4! I don't know the title yet, but it'll come to me eventually. So, did you like it? Chapter 4 should be up by next Sunday (August 16), because school starts Monday the 10th (EEK!!). Updates will go slower after this, but they shouldn't take too long (hopefully). The sheer amounts of views tells me that I should keep going. I'm rambling, so I'm gonna shut up now. Read and Review!!~(^_^)~**

**Peace out,**

**~artyluvr  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Woot!! Chapter Four!!! I, amazingly, have nothing to say, so Enjoy!!!**

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_Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, so the only things I own are my characters and my plot._  
**

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**Chapter 4: First Lesson Fun**

The next day, Snape was drinking his morning cup of tea while reading _The Daily Prophet._ It was peaceful in his house; he enjoyed the quiet. That, however, all changed when he was firecalled.

"Severus!" came the voice of Molly Weasley. Snape sighed and set his paper and teacup down. There went his peaceful morning. He walked into his study.

"Yes, Molly?" he asked.

"It's Sam."

Snape felt as though he'd been electrocuted. "What about her?"

"Well, we can't find her."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that; I went to wake her up around nine because it was time for breakfast, but she wasn't in her room! We've searched the whole house, and we can't find her!"

"I'll be right over." Snape hoped she hadn't decided to rob a store in the village. That would definitely _not_ go over well with the Weasleys. He took a pinch of Floo powder from the pot on the fireplace, throwing it in the fire and shouting: "The Burrow!" He stepped in the flames, and a moment later he was standing in the Weasley's kitchen. He brushed himself off and saw that everyone in the house was gathered at the table, waiting for him.

"Thank goodness you've come, Severus," Molly said, sounding anxious and relieved at the same time. "We've searched the entire house from top to bottom, and she hasn't turned up anywhere!"

Snape sat himself at the table. "Well, I have a few ideas of where she might have gone, but I hope none of them are correct. May I go check her room to see if she left a note or something of the sort?"

Molly nodded, and Snape left, returning a moment later. "She did not leave a note, but I think she's close by."

"How can you tell, Professor?" asked Harry.

"Last night, her i-Pod was on her nightstand. It's no longer there. Therefore, she left and went somewhere, most likely close by, to listen to her music."

"What do you propose we do?" asked Arthur.

"I believe the best thing we can do is split up and search the area. If we find her, then we send up green sparks. If we do not find her within a half hour, we all return here to come up with another plan."

"Sounds good," stated Arthur, and soon every person in the house had gone outside to search for the girl. _"She'd have better not gone to the village,"_ thought Snape, going east.

* * *

Five minutes of searching for the girl had come up empty, although there was plenty of time left to search. Looking around, Snape thought he heard music, and headed to the source. Sure enough, there was Sam, sitting on the ground listening to her i-Pod, leaning against a tree and looking out on a pond. She didn't have her earbuds plugged in, and her i-Pod was playing from its own speakers. She was singing along with the music.

"_Well, I'm terrified of these four walls.  
These iron bars can't hold my soul in.  
All I need is you  
Come please I'm calling.  
And, oh, I scream for you.  
Hurry, I'm fallin'  
I'm fallin'._

_Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing.  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be.  
And say it for me,  
Say it to me.  
And I'll leave this life behind me.  
Say it if it's worth savin' me."_

The music continued, and Snape could hear that she was enjoying the music. He hated to interrupt her, but he needed to. He sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her gasp loudly and whirl around to face him.

"Sorry," he said. Sam paused the music.

"S'okay. What's up?" she asked.

"Not much; what about you?"

"Nuthin'."

"You gave us quite a scare this morning, you know."

Sam looked startled. "What d'you mean?"

"Mrs. Weasley went to wake you up to tell you breakfast was ready, but you weren't in your room. We didn't know where you were."

"Oh. That scared you?"

"Yes. We didn't know what had happened to you. You could've been dead on the side of the road, for all we knew."

"I really didn't know anyone would be worried 'bout me. I'm so used to just leavin' whenever, I didn't even think 'bout that. I'm sorry for makin' you worry."

"It's fine; just don't do it again, alright? You nearly gave us all a heart attack."

"Alright."

Snape took his wand out, sending up green sparks.

"What was that?" asked Sam.

"That was a signal for everyone so they know I've found you."

"They were looking for me?"

Snape nodded. "Yes, we all were."

"Wow. I'll definitely remember not to leave again. Hey, do you wanna hear a song?"

"Why not?"

"_Are you lost_

_In your lies?_

_Do you tell yourself_

'_I don't realize'?_

_Your crusade's a disguise._

_Replace freedom with fear;_

_You trade money for lives._

_I'm aware of what you've done._

_No, no more sorrow._

_I've paid for your mistakes._

_Your time is borrowed._

_Your time has come to be replaced._

_I see pain; I see need._

_I see liars and thieves_

_Abuse power with greed._

_I had hope; I believed._

_But I'm beginning to think that I've been deceived._

_You will pay for what you've done!_

_No, no more sorrow._

_I've paid for your mistakes._

_Your time is borrowed._

_Your time has come to be replaced!"_

The song continued, but Sam had to pause it when she saw everyone coming at them. They were all running to get to her. Mrs. Weasley, upon seeing her okay, knelt down and gave her a bone-crushing hug, startling the teen.

"Oh, Sam!" Mrs. Weasley said, on the verge of tears. "We were so worried! We didn't know what had happened to you! We thought something horrible had happened!"

"Um, Mrs. Weasley, I kinda cant' breathe right now." Mrs. Weasley released her. "Why would you think somethin' bad happened to me? I wasn't even very far away from your house."

"It doesn't matter how far away you were, the point is; we didn't know where you were, and in these times we need to know."

"What d'you mean, 'these times'? What's goin' on?"

"I won't explain it here, let's get back to the Burrow and we'll explain it there."

"Okay?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked over to Sam, walking back to the Burrow with her, although Snape kept an arm around her shoulders, making sure she didn't leave his sight. When they got to the Burrow, everyone once again went to the kitchen table, Snape seating himself next to Sam. He was feeling oddly protective of her since that morning.

"Okay, so," Sam started, "what's goin' on here? What d'you mean by 'these times'? Why did me goin' to the pond freak everyone out so much?"

No one answered at first, so Harry answered. "We're at war, Sam."

"At war? With who?"

"A wizard named Voldemort and his followers; they're called Death Eaters."

"So, it's just one guy? Shouldn't he be easy to stop?"

Arthur took over. "He's not just any wizard, Sam; he's a _very_ powerful one. He's what Muggles call a terrorist."

Sam's eyes widened. "A terrorist? Like Saddam Hussein?"

Everyone looked confused. "Who?"

Sam looked shocked. "You don't know who he is? Oh, my God, none of you do?"

All the Weasleys shook their heads. Hermione, however, had an idea.

"I think I remember something about him being on the news. Didn't he attack America or something like that?" she asked.

That made Harry remember. "Oh, now I remember. I heard something about that when the Dursleys were watching television. They said it was good that someone had brought them down a notch."

Sam pounded a fist on the table. "Bastards," she spat.

"Sam." Snape's voice had a warning tone to it.

"Sorry, but if you say that a country being attacked is a good thing, then you are one. I don't care who you are; you don't say that."

"So what happened?" asked Hermione.

"Back in two thousand one, he had people in three different planes hijack them and make them crash-land. They were commercial planes, so there were normal people on board. One crashed in the middle of nowhere, and it didn't hit a city, but most people on the plane died. One crashed into the Pentagon, which is an important building for the government in Washington, DC. Tons of people were hurt in that crash, because it was during work hours."

She stopped, and Hermione asked about the third plane. "What about the other plane? What happened to it?"

Sam looked like she would cry. "It hit New York City. It crashed into one of the Twin Towers, also known as the World Trade Center. The blast from the tower that got hit made the other one fall." A few tears fell, and she wiped hem away before continuing. "So many people died from that plane. I had a friend; we were the best of friends at the time. She'd lived in Rockledge 'till we were six, then she moved to New York 'cause of her dad's job. We were in first grade when it happened. We were talking on our cell phones. She and her parents were on a bus. They were at a red light next to the Towers when the plane hit." She started crying. "I could hear the plane hit. They never had a chance."

Instantly everyone at the table was standing up and comforting her. There were so many people crowding around her, patting her shoulders and rubbing her back, a few hugging her that she started to feel claustrophobic. She straightened up and wiped her eyes.

"I'm okay," she said, indicating that she wanted them to get away from her. Once they'd gone back to their seats, she continued. "So, we got off track a bit; this Voldemort dude's a terrorist?"

"Yes, and he's very powerful, too. He can actually do what he says, which a lot of people can't do," answered Arthur. Harry stayed silent, not wanting to discuss Voldemort much anymore.

"So, why did you worry the second I left?"

"Because, he's not like Muggle terrorists. He could be anywhere, and we would never know until it was too late. We didn't know if his followers had kidnapped you or not. They could've even killed you, and we never would've known."

"Oh. I'll remember that. I don't wanna make you guys worry 'bout me. That's just not right."

"I'm glad you think so. Just remember to let us know where you're going next time, okay?"

"Alright."

"And also, Hogwarts will be the safest place for you to be when you go there. Dumbledore, the headmaster, is the only person You-Know-Who has ever feared. The castle has also been made almost impenetrable during the school year."

"Alright, thanks for letting me know."

"No problem; anytime."

"There's something I wanna know, though. If I'm goin' to this school, how am I supposed to know what the he—heck I'm doin'? I've never done anythin' like this before."

Snape answered her. "That's why you're here, Sam; there're plenty of people to train you here. You'll be taught everything that you'll need to know to stay with your class once school starts."

"Oh, I get it."

There was a moment of silence where no one quite knew what to say. Finally, the twins got an idea.

"Hey Sam, have you-,"

"Ever played Quidditch before?" they asked.

"Played what?"

"That's a no, then," said Fred.

"It's a wizard sport, played on brooms," said George.

"Really? Cool!"

The twins looked at each other, excited at her reaction.

"D'you wanna play a game?" they asked in unison.

"Yeah, of course! Just lemme go change first; I kinda didn't before I left."

"Okay, meet us all out back, okay?"

"Alright."

A few minutes later, Sam went outside, meeting Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, and Percy by the back door.

"Woah," Ron said, looking at her clothes. "What are you wearing?"

Sam looked down at her outfit, wondering what was so strange. She was wearing white skinny jeans, a navy blue V-neck shirt with little puff sleeves, and a red vest. She had silver star earrings in, and she was wearing a silver bracelet and red shoes with star cut-outs in them. She was even wearing a skinny red headband, although it was more for show than anything else.

"What? Do I look funny?"

"No, I was just wondering what was with this sudden change in wardrobe."

"Oh, I don't wear things like this much. It's the Fourth of July, that's the only reason I'm wearing this."

"What's so special about the Fourth of July? And how did you know that that was today?"

"It's pretty much programmed into every American's brain. We all know when it is; that's the way we are. The Fourth of July is our Independence Day; the day we declared our independence from Great Britain and their tyranny."

"Tyrrany? What did we do?"

"I don't know, you really think I actually paid attention in U.S. History? I dunno, apparently they made us mad and we rebelled. That's all I know. So, what's this game you were talkin' about?"

Harry answered her. "It's called Quidditch. It's really big in the Wizarding world; everyone follows it. I don't know exactly what that would be like in America."

"Um, everyone either follows football or baseball."

"So, like baseball, then. Basically, it's a sport played on broomsticks. There are seven players to each team. Three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and one Seeker. The Chasers fly around with a red ball called the Quaffle, which they try to throw through hoops for ten points each. Got it so far?"

Sam nodded. "Good. The Keeper tries to keep the Chasers from scoring goals; he defends the three hoops. The Beaters use bats to keep the two black balls called Bludgers from hitting their teammates. They're supposed to hit it into the other team. The Bludgers are charmed to fly around and try to hit people. Understand?"

Again Sam nodded. "Alright. The last player is the Seeker. Their job is to try to spot and catch the Golden Snitch, which is a little walnut-sized flying ball. The game can't end until the Snitch has been captured. The team who caught the Snitch gets three hundred and fifty points. And that's about it. D'you understand?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, it sounds fun! But we don't have fourteen players. What do we do?"

Ron answered her. "Well, we have enough players for one Chaser, one Beater, one Keeper and a Seeker per team, so that's what we'll do. Usually when we play like this, the Beater is also a Chaser."

"Cool, so do we need a referee? We don't have anyone to do that if we're all playing."

"I'll be the referee."

Everyone turned around to see Snape standing at the back door. Sam smiled. "Awesome, so how do you use a broom?"

Fred and George smiled. "We have them in the shed, come on."

The little group went to the shed, the Weasleys picking up their brooms while Harry, Hermione, and Sam took the three spares. The Weasleys showed Sam how to mount it, and gave her a few pointers before letting her try.

"Alright, Sam," said Fred, "On three, I want you to kick off hard and go up about a meter. Then hover for a few seconds and touch down. Got it?"

The girl looked confused. "Um, how far is a meter?" she asked.

"What?"

"We use a different unit system in America. It's all feet and yards there. I have no idea how far a meter is."

"Oh. That's strange. A meter is a little bit above my head."

"Alright, about six feet, then. Okay, I'm ready."

"One, two, three!"

Sam pushed off the ground, rising to a point just above everyone's heads, looking ecstatic. She leaned forward on the broom, and it shot forward, going about thirty yards away from the group. She then pulled up on the nose, and went straight up until she was about a hundred feet above the ground. Dimly she heard the Weasleys shouting for her to go back, and she did so with a smile.

She pushed the nose of the broom down until she was going in a nose dive, making everyone present shout in alarm. Just before she crashed into the ground, she pulled up and headed towards the group, her toes skimming the top of the grass. She stopped about three feet away from the group, who rushed to her anxiously. She dismounted and laughed.

"Oh, my God, that was the most fun I've had in _forever!_ I can't believe I never did this before!"

Harry, who was reminded of his first time on a broom, smiled. "Everyone gets that feeling when they first ride. Are you okay, though? You were pretty high up."

Hermione looked at him oddly. "Yes, and this is coming from the one who took a fifteen-meter dive after Neville's _Remembrall_ of all things in first year; which, coincidentally, was your first time on a broom also."

Harry looked sheepish. "Well, that was different."

Ron laughed. "Not really, mate."

Sam interrupted the trio's nostalgia trip with a question that got everyone excited.

"So, are we gonna play or what?"

Fifteen minutes later, the eight players had been divided into two teams; Harry, Fred, Percy, and Hermione on one, and Sam, George, Ginny, and Ron on the other. They'd had a problem deciding who would be the second Seeker until Sam said that she wanted to go against Harry. After that, the teams were decided quickly.

Snape stepped to the middle, a whistle around his neck. He made Harry and Sam, who'd been decided team captains because they were the Seekers, shake hands while he made the traditional referee's speech.

"I want a fair game from all of you," he said, having a look about him that said, _"Or else."_ "Mount your brooms." After everyone did so, he blew the whistle, sending everyone into the air.

As soon as she reached a height of about fifty feet, Sam started searching for the Snitch. She desperately wanted to find it before Harry did; she was an extremely competitive person. A flash of gold caught her eye; it was the Snitch, and the game wasn't even a minute over. She darted off at an angle slightly to the right, chasing the little ball. Harry hadn't noticed her yet, and she was glad for it. She chased the Snitch to the edge of a forest, and then caught it against a tree, smashing her hand against it. She held up the little golden ball, smiling triumphantly.

"I got it!" she shouted.

Everyone turned to look at her holding up the Snitch, Harry's mouth wide open in shock. He hadn't even seen it. Sam landed and handed the ball to Snape, who took it.

"Three hundred and fifty points to Sam's team," he said quietly, though he was bursting with pride.

"Yes!" Sam shouted, looking triumphant. Ron, George, and Ginny landed and ran over to her, checking to make sure the Snitch was real before whooping and patting Sam on the back.

It was then Sam noticed she had a hand full of splinters.

"Dammit," she cursed, grasping her right hand with her left. She tried to use her fingernails to pull some of the pieces of wood out, but it didn't work. Everyone was by her side in a second. Snape stepped forward, grabbing her right wrist and bringing it toward him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"When I was chasing the Snitch, it was about to go in the forest, so I pinned it against a tree."

Snape took out his wand, muttering a few spells so that the splinters came out of her hand without hurting her. He then muttered another spell, which conjured bandages. He took them and wrapped them around her hand, tying the ends.

"There you are."

"Thanks."

The teens crowded around her, making sure she was alright. "Yeah, I'm fine, I've gotten more before. Believe me, it's not fun trying to get them out the Muggle way. This was _so_ much better."

"Well, if you're sure… Want to play another match?"

"You know it!"

A couple hours later found the little group making their way back to the Burrow for a late lunch. They made it back just in time. Mrs. Weasley was just setting plates down for everyone when they got in.

* * *

After lunch, Mr. Weasley gave Sam her first lesson in magic; she was borrowing Hermione's wand. After she'd performed most first year spells, Mr. Weasley ended the lesson. Sam then went and hung out with the Weasley children, who told her about living in a Wizarding house and all of the different things that they had.

Not too much later, they were all seated at the dinner table, eating one of Mrs. Weasley's meals. There was lots of talking and laughing; the atmosphere was pleasant. It made Sam think of the few family dinner's she'd had. She could remember the last one they'd had. It hadn't turned out well for her at all. She'd spent a few days in the wardrobe after that dinner.

The memories of that trip into the wardrobe brought about old fears; her father had come home a lot more often back then. The combination of memories and fears, mostly tied into one, forced a few tears to escape her eyes. She quickly wiped them away; she didn't want anyone to see them, for if they did they would surely ask her why she was crying. She really didn't want to ruin the positive atmosphere of the room.

Snape had seen her wipe the tears away, and placed a hand on her back, catching her eye. She looked back and smiled, indicating to him that there was nothing to worry about. The man nodded and went back to his conversation with Percy about advanced potions, though he kept an eye on her.

All too soon it was time for the children to go to bed, and Snape said good-bye to Sam, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys, as it was getting late.

"Wait, so are you comin' back?" Sam asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Maybe not tomorrow, but I will visit from time to time," Snape reassured her.

"Oh. Alright, then."

"Good-bye, Sam." He reached a hand out and gently ruffled her hair.

"'Bye, Mr. Snape." Sam didn't wait for anyone else as she turned around and headed up the stairs and to her room, wanting to be alone.

* * *

The rest of the summer passed similarly, Sam learning more and more about the Wizarding world as the days went by. Harry's birthday came and went, with a celebration that Mrs. Weasley insisted upon. Sam's birthday, also, passed by; the only reason anyone knew it was because of Snape, who'd heard it from Dumbledore. The Weasleys threw her a surprise party, since she didn't know that they knew when it was. She came inside after a day of flying to find a celebration waiting for her. Needless to say, she was equally parts surprised and excited. She hadn't had a birthday party since the one when she was eight, and even then they hadn't been so spirited.

Soon the last weeks of August had come, and everyone had made their annual trip to Diagon Alley. Sam had been extremely excited to see all of the things that were unique to the Wizarding world; she was especially happy to receive her first wand (ten inches ebony with dragon heartstring). They bought all her remaining supplies, and as soon as they got back to the Burrow she opened her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and started reading it.

"Merlin, I hope she's not another Hermione," Ron remarked quietly to Harry.

* * *

September first came sooner than anyone expected, and soon Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sam were sitting in a carriage together on the Hogwarts Express, heading to Hogwarts. Sam was looking around the carriage and out the window nervously; she couldn't sit still.

"Sam, are you alright?" asked Hermione, worried that she was feeling claustrophobic.

"Yeah, fine. I've just never been on a train before."

"Really?"

"Yep, this is my first time. Trains aren't really that popular in America."

"Ah. Do you want to walk around for a bit?"

Sam smiled gratefully. "Yeah, that would be great."

The two girls got up and left, shutting the door behind them. Not long after, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle opened the door and walked in.

"Potter, Weasley," Malfoy stated.

The two boys were instantly alert.

"Malfoy," they replied.

"I hope you weren't ready for another Lupin; he's not coming back. _His_ kind aren't allowed anymore. Or were you getting your hopes up for a miracle?"

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron spat. "What are you here for?"

"Not much, really. I was just wondering who that was with you dear friend Granger. I've never seen her before. Is she a charity case; you would know all about those, Potter."

"Shut up, Malfoy, she's a new student; you'd better not mess with her or you'll be sorry."

"I'm shaking in my robes. New student? In fourth year? Don't make me laugh. She's the transfer student; I already know everything about her. Are you trying to make friends? I bet you don't know the first thing about her."

Ron stood up, angry. "Shut the hell up, Malfoy, you don't know _anything_ about her. So don't give me that crap."

Just then Hermione and Sam showed up.

"Hey, guys, s'up?" Sam asked, completely ignoring Malfoy and sitting down in her seat. "Ron, why're you standing? I hear it's a pretty long ride; there _are_ seats, you know. Sit down."

Ron looked at Malfoy, and then slowly sat down. Sam brought her knees up to her chest, pulling her i-Pod out of her pocket.

"Oh, Ron, did I tell you? Your dad helped me get my i-Pod, my laptop, _and_ my cell phone to work off of magic. Isn't that sweet? Now I can use 'em at school."

"Really?" Hermione asked. "How'd he do that?"

"I dunno, he looked at 'em for a couple days, then he said he put some spell on 'em. Now I can use 'em anywhere. Hey, ya'll wanna hear a popular song?"

Harry answered her. "Sure. What's it called?"

"Right Round. Actually, it's kinda old; it was popular last month."

"And that makes it old?"

Sam smiled. "You have no idea how fast music goes in and out of popularity. There are some songs where they're really popular for about a week or two, and then everyone hates them. It's kinda funny, actually. Alright, so here we go."

Sam had the volume turned all the way up and didn't have the earbuds plugged in, so everyone could hear the words clearly. Sam started singing with the music.

"_You spin my head right round, right round  
When you go down, when you go down down._

_You spin my head right round, right round  
When you go down, when you go down down._

_Hey!  
Walk out my house with my swagger.  
Hop in that with dough, I got places to go!  
People to see, time is precious.  
I looked at my cotty, are ya outta control._

_Just like my mind where I'm going.  
No women, no shawties, no nothin' but clothes.  
No stoppin' now, my Pirellis on role.  
I like my jewelry, that's always on whoa._

_I know the storm is comin'.  
my pockets keep tellin me it's gonna shower.  
Call up my homies it's all,  
Then pop in the next 'cause this mix'll be ours._

_We keep a fade away shot 'cuz we ballin'.  
It's platinum patron that be ours.  
Li'l mama, I owe you just like the flowers.  
Girl you drink with all that goodie power._

_You spin my head right round, right round  
When you go down, when you go down down._

_You spin my head right round, right round  
When you go down, when you go down down."_

She stopped singing, but let the music play. "Sorry, I'm not a good singer. This song just has funny memories."

"Like what?" Hermione asked. Malfoy and company were still there, Malfoy shocked that she was ignoring him.

"Like this one time my friends and I crashed a school dance. That was so fun. We snuck in 'cause we didn't buy tickets; we trashed the gym. This song was playing when we got there."

She started laughing, and Harry and Ron smiled; Hermione looked scandalized. Malfoy left, Crabbe and Goyle following him.

"Wow, Sam, how'd you do that?" Ron asked, referring to how Malfoy had just left.

"Do what?"

"Make Malfoy leave like that. He's never done that before."

Sam looked genuinely confused. "Who? I honestly didn't see anyone."

Ron looked skeptical, but let the subject drop. The rest of the trip was spent talking, laughing, and listening to music. When they got to the platform, the four friends waited a bit before they got off the train. When they did, though, they didn't get to go far, as Professor McGonagall came up to them.

"Samantha Biluxy?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's me," Sam answered. "Could you call me Sam, please?"

The professor looked at her. "Sam, then. All four of you, follow me. We are going to Sort you before everyone else, so we must hurry."

Sam paled. "In front of everyone?"

"No, we will do it in Professor Dumbledore's office, which is why we must hurry."

The four teens followed the professor to a carriage that took them to the front of the castle. They got out, and Professor McGonagall led them to Dumbledore's office. When they got to the gargoyle, she gave it the password, which was 'Lemon Drop'. They went up the stairs, stopping at a door, which the professor knocked three times on.

"Come in," called a voice from inside.

The five stepped inside to find four people inside. Harry, Ron, and Hermione recognized everyone present; Professors Dumbledore, Sprout, Flitwick, and Snape. Sam, however, only recognized Snape, and her face lit up because of it. He hadn't been to the Burrow in a few weeks in preparation for the upcoming year.

"Hello, Samantha," Dumbledore said, smiling warmly. "Or would you rather me call you Sam?"

"Sam, please."

"Very well, Sam. Welcome to Hogwarts. I would inform you of some of the start-of-the-year traditions, but I am sure Harry, Ron, and Hermione have already done that. I did not think that you would enjoy being Sorted in front of the whole student body, so we are going to do that here and now. Minerva, if you please."

Professor McGonagall came forward, holding the Sorting Hat, placing it on Sam's head. The old hat almost covered her eyes, but it didn't, just barely. Nothing happened for a moment, then:

"_Hello, Samantha," _the Hat said in her ear.

Sam whipped the hat off her head, startled. "Holy sh—No one told me it talked!"

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, it sometimes does that."

Sam nodded, then shakily placed the Hat back on her head.

"_Well, __someone__ has a dirty mouth."_

"_Shut up, I didn't… Wait, you read my mind?"_

"_Yes, I did. And I must say yours is interesting."_

"_Thanks?"_

"_Your welcome. Now, let me see; you enjoy crime, especially of the robbing sort. You don't like doing what adults say, you're generally untrusting, but you have a certain cunning when it comes to breaking the rules. Hmmm… It seems to me that you're best suited for Slytherin. What do you say?"_

"_Which one is that?"_

"_It's the one fabled to have produced every Dark witch and wizard ever lived. It will help you greatly on your path of crime."_

"_Which one are Harry, Ron, and Hermione in? The one with the red and gold stripes?"_

"_Ah, yes, Harry Potter. I remember him. They are all in Gryffindor."_

"_I want to be with them."_

"_Hmm… I'm not sure that's best for you. Although… Now I'm starting to see indecision in you. You're not sure whether to stray from your path or not. Come to think of it, Gryffindor would be best for you to make your choice… I do see that you're brave when it comes to your friends… I've made my decision."_

"_Gryffindor?"_

"_Yes. Would you like to tell them?"_

"_Yeah, thanks. 'Bye."_

"_I hope to speak with you soon."_

Sam took off the Hat, handing it back to Professor McGonagall. "Well?" she asked.

"I'm in Gryffindor," Sam replied, smiling. Harry, Ron, and Hermione instantly surrounded her, Hermione giving her a hug.

"Good, job, Sam," they were saying.

"Well," said Dumbledore, "that's one mystery ended for tonight. Congratulations, Sam, you are now officially part of Hogwarts." He handed her a red-and-gold tie.

"Thanks." Sam took it and tied it loosely around her neck. She couldn't stand it being tied any tighter than that.

"Well, now it's on to the feast! Let us go."

Everyone started leaving, except for Snape, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sam. Sam went over to the Potions professor and smiled.

"Hey, Mr. Snape," she said.

"Hello, Sam. Did you have a good trip over?" Snape asked, ruffling her hair.

"Yep, it was pretty good."

"Good. Now, we must go. Come on, all of you."

The five went down, and just before they got to the Great Hall, Snape stopped Sam.

"Now, remember, Sam, when we're in class, call me 'Professor', alright?"

Sam nodded. "Alright."

Snape nodded, and he and Sam rejoined Harry, Ron, and Hermione. All five of them walked into the great Hall at the same, Snape splitting off from them at the door. While he headed for the Professor's table, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sam headed to the Gryffindor table. Whispers erupted at the sight of Sam; no one had been expecting a new Gryffindor who wouldn't be in first year. The four ignored them, though. They split off at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron sitting on one side of the table, Sam and Hermione sitting across from them.

Once the Sorting was over with, Dumbledore stood up for announcements. After he'd introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Alastor Moody, he introduced Sam.

"As some of you may have noticed, we have a new student coming into the Fourth Year. This is Samantha Biluxy; she has transferred here from America. Samantha, if you would."

Sam stood up, raising a hand in hello. "Call me Sam," she said. Whispers broke out among the students as she sat back down. That was the end of the announcements, and the feast finally began. As soon as they were allowed to talk freely, Sam was bombarded with questions from everyone around her.

"Hi, Sam, where're you from?"

"Rockledge, Florida."

"Why're you coming here?"

"My mom apparently wrote a letter."

"What's it like in America?"

"If you're a kid, pretty cool. If you're an adult, then not so much, 'cause there're so many taxes you gotta pay."

"What's school like there?"

"I don't know what high school is like; I was supposed to be a freshman there this year."

"What about before this year?"

"I dunno, I skipped school most days."

It went on like this for the whole feast. Once it was over, Harry, Ron, and Hermione took Sam to the Common Room. They hung out there for a little while until it was time for bed. Hermione took Sam to the girls' dormitories, and they got ready for bed. Just when Sam was about to fall asleep, her phone vibrated; someone had texted her.

"_hey sam, wots up? ill ttyl, k? byby, josh."_

Sam smiled; Josh was thinking about her. _"im about 2 go 2 bed. ill txt u in da mornin. nite. luv sam."_

That night, Sam dreamt about her dad. It was a hellish nightmare, but then Snape came and saved her. She rolled over and sighed, her dreams protected by the people who cared about her.

* * *

**That's it!! Did you like it? review and let me know!! Next up, Chapter five!! review plz!**

**Love ya'll!!!!!!!**

**~artyluvr**

**~(^_^)~  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Now that school's started, chapters are going to be coming much slower, though they'll still come. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: First Day Scares**

The next day was the first day of classes. Their first class of the day was History of Magic, which Sam actually fell asleep in. She'd woken up early, excited for the first day of classes. Though, she could see why Harry and Ron didn't like this class. She felt a little bad about sleeping through the class, but she figured she would just get the notes from Hermione.

Their first class after lunch was Transfiguration with the Slytherins, something Sam wasn't sure about. She'd heard bad things about the Slytherins. They went into the classroom together, Hermione sitting to her left, Ron sitting in front of her, and Harry sitting in front on Hermione.

A lot of the Slytherins came in together, surrounding the four friends. One girl sat directly behind Sam, and she could smell the girl's chokingly pungent flowery perfume from where she sat. It filled her nostrils, blocking out any other scent whatsoever.

"Oh, Lavender, your perfume smells so wonderful," a Slytherin girl sitting next to her said.

Lavender gave the girl a haughty look. "Yes, isn't it lovely?"

Professor McGonagall started roll call, and Sam noticed a hitch in her breathing. She took a deep breath, but it felt like she hadn't taken any at all. She tried taking another breath, but again it felt like she was holding her breath. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"_Oh, crap,"_ she thought. She tried taking another breath, but she couldn't get much air at all. Her breathing quickened, and she realized she was panicking. Her hand shot in the air.

"Yes, Ms. Biluxy?" McGonagall asked, pausing from calling roll.

"Professor, I-I can't breathe," Sam said, her breathing resembling that of a person's who'd just sprinted a mile. McGonagall looked confused.

"What?"

"I c-can't breathe."

McGonagall acted quickly. She walked to Sam's desk, helping her stand. She waved her wand, two Patronus' shooting out of it, sprinting out the door and going separate ways down the halls.

"Come, to the Hospital Wing with you. Stay here, the rest of you. Put one toe out of line and there will be detention for a month."

McGonagall helped Sam out of the classroom, the students bursting into speech as they left. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed silent, giving each other worried looks.

Meanwhile, McGonagall had just gotten Sam to the Hospital Wing. She opened the doors and helped Sam into the nearest seat, calling for Madame Pomfrey as she did so.

"Poppy! Come here!"

The woman bustled out, stopping at the sight of the near-hyperventilating Sam.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know. I was calling roll and she said she couldn't breathe."

Just then, Dumbledore and Snape, called by the Patronus', strode in. Snape stopped at the sight of Sam, worry clear on his face.

"What happened?" asked Dumbledore.

"I don't—,"

"N-need inha-haler," Sam cut her off between breaths. "B-bottom of trunk, Gryffindor t-tower."

"What?"

"N-need in-inhaler. C-can't b-b-breathe." She was shaking terribly.

Dumbledore waved his wand, the inhaler popping up in his hand. He handed it to Sam, who took it. She placed one end in her mouth, pressing down on a button at the top and breathing in deeply. She did this three times before removing it from her mouth and coughing. She took another breath from it and coughed again, her breathing returning slowly to normal. She shut her eyes, tears leaking from the closed lids.

"Sam," Snape said, getting her attention. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, shaking uncontrollably.

"Can you tell us what just happened?"

Again she nodded. "I have asthma," she said, almost whispering. The adults could hear fright in her voice.

"What's that?" asked Madame Pomfrey.

"I guess you could call it a disorder. A lot of people have it. It's when your lungs stop working right. The inhaler has medicine in it that makes them work again."

"So that—,"

"Was an asthma attack. I haven't had one since I was about eight. I almost threw my inhaler away, but kept it at the last second."

"Why now? Why would you just suddenly have an attack for the first time in years?"

"It can get set off by certain things. Some people have a lot of triggers, but I got lucky. Mine is pretty much only set off by strong perfumes, especially the flowery kinds."

"So Ms. Brown's perfume…," asked McGonagall.

"Most likely set it off, since she sat right behind me. If she'd been on the other side of the room it wouldn't have done anything." She wasn't shaking nearly as hard anymore, but she was still trembling. Madame Pomfrey went to a cabinet and pulled out a vial.

"Here, drink this," she ordered.

Sam looked at the potion skeptically. "What is it?"

"It's a Calming Drought; it'll help you stop shaking."

Sam took the vial, draining it in one gulp. She slowly stopped trembling, and she felt much better for it. "I'm alright now," she informed the adults.

"Are you sure?" asked Snape. He had a hard time grasping the concept of Sam having an asthma attack, of having her not being able to breathe correctly. Frankly, it shook him. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm completely fine now, trust me."

"If you're sure."

McGonagall led Sam out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Dumbledore, Snape, and Madame Pomfrey standing there. Pomfrey bustled away to her office, leaving the two men alone. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling madly as he looked at Snape.

"What?" the man asked, looking in annoyance at Dumbledore.

"Nothing, nothing. You were worried about her."

"Yes, but so would anyone else who could do nothing but watch as a student had trouble breathing."

"You care about her." It wasn't a question.

"I…" Snape realized he was defeated. "Yes, I do. As if she were my own child." He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone else, save one particular pale-skinned girl.

"Would you like her to be yours? Or would you prefer guardianship first?"

"I'd like to have guardianship first, although I'd rather speak with her first. I want her to be comfortable with it."

Dumbledore smiled. "You are thinking like a parent. Very well; I'll go and get the papers for you. They'll be in your office to do whatever you wish with them."

"Thank you, Albus." There was genuine gratitude in his voice.

"Anytime, Severus. Anytime."

***_Line Break_***

The rest of the week passed uneventfully, and soon it was Saturday, the first weekend of the school year. Sam was sitting in the Common Room, talking and laughing with Ginny. Most of the laughing was done at Ron's expense. They were talking about things he'd done when he was little.

"And then, he ran in the kitchen, screaming his head off," Ginny said amid giggles. "The dunderhead didn't have the sense to let go of the stupid thing! Mum changed it back, but he wouldn't go near it for weeks! He kept looking at it like it was growing a second head!"

Sam laughed, images of the event running through her head. "So Fred and George changed his stuffed bear into a spider? That's awesome! A little mean, but funny at the same time!"

The girls laughed, pictures of Ron running around holding a stuffed spider that used to be his teddy bear running through their minds. Just then they were interrupted.

"Um, Sam?"

The girls stopped laughing, wiping tears of laughter from their eyes. Neville was standing next to them, looking a bit frightened.

"You alright, Neville?" Sam asked.

Neville nodded. "Yes, I just ran into Professor Snape."

"Neville's been scared of him since his first year here," Ginny informed Sam, who understood. She'd seen the way he acted in some of his classes; he could be intimidating when he wanted to be.

"I thought I'd gotten over it in Third Year, but I guess not. Anyway, he's outside the portrait hole; he said he wants to talk to you, Sam."

"Really? Alright, thanks Neville." Sam stood up, grabbing her bag; she was meeting Harry, Ron, and Hermione to study and do homework in about an hour. She figured she'd go meet them after she finished talking with Snape. She walked over to the portrait hole and opened it, waving to Ginny and Neville as she did so.

"'Bye Ginny, 'bye Neville. See ya'll later."

She stepped out of the portal, shutting it after her. She spotted Snape, and went over to the professor. "Hey, Mr. Snape, what's up?"

"Hello Sam. I'm fine, and you?"

"Pretty good. You wanted to talk to me?"

Snape nodded. "Yes, but I'd like to speak in private. Come, we'll speak in my office."

"Okay."

Snape turned around and strode off in the direction of the dungeons, Sam following behind. They went to the Potions classroom, going into a side room, where his office was. Snape sat down at his desk, motioning for Sam to sit on the other side.

"Sam, you trust me, don't you?"

"Yeah." Sam had absolutely no idea where this was going.

"And you think of me as a friend, correct?"

"Yeah, ever since I met you in that alley."

"Well, I have also. But I must confess that I've started to view you as something more, as a daughter."

"Okay…"

"And I've thought about this many times, and I want you to know: I'd like to become your legal guardian."

Sam was shocked. "You—what?"

"I'd like to be your legal guardian."

"That's what I thought you said. Legal guardian, that's just… Wow."

"Of course, if you don't want to, then—,"

"No! You just surprised me, that's all. I wasn't expecting that. Are you sure? I mean, you know how I am, and I don't want to be a burden, and—,"

"Sam," Snape cut in. "Like I already said, I've thought about it many times. It's all up to you. Would you like me to be your legal guardian?"

Sam nodded. "I'd like that a lot."

Snape looked glad. "I'm glad you would. I already have all the papers, all you have to do is sign them, and I'm your legal guardian."

Sam looked at the papers on the desk, reading the paragraph before where her signature was supposed to go. It said:

"_I, _Samantha Biluxy_, declare that I have no objection to the legal guardianship of _Severus Snape_ over myself and my wellbeing. I understand the power he/she holds over me, and I understand that he/she may be held accountable for my actions._

_Signature of ward: __________________________________________"_

Sam took a deep breath and took out her quill, signing _Samantha Biluxy_ on the line. She looked up at Snape.

"So, do I call you 'Dad' now?" she asked jokingly.

Snape laughed, standing up and walking around the desk to hug the girl. "You can call me whatever you like, Sam."

Just then, her cell phone vibrated. Someone had texted her.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's alright. Who is it?"

Sam flipped the device open, reading the message. She looked up at Snape, joy in her eyes. "Josh is getting adopted!" She showed him the message.

"_Sam. ms. waters sed she wants 2 adopt me. i sed ya. shes gona b my mom. wut do u thnk? luv josh."_

"Who's Ms. Waters?"

"She's a friend of ours. She's helped Josh with bail money more than once. She's a really nice lady; I'm so glad she's finally adopting him."

"_Josh. thts awsme! rmbr mr. snape? he jst bcme my lgl grdn. lyk i jst sgnd da pprz 2 secs ago. ths is so kewl! luv sam."_

"What does that even say?" asked Snape, who'd watched her send the message. Sam laughed.

"It says: 'Josh. That's awesome! Remember Mr. Snape? He just became my legal guardian. Like I just signed the papers two seconds ago. This is so cool! Love, Sam.'"

"So you're really alright with all of this?"

"Of course I am, I wouldn't have signed the papers if I wasn't, now would I?"

"You're right."

"Can I tell you something? Not even Josh knows this."

"Of course."

"I've wanted something like this to happen since I was little, but I never thought it could happen. Now that it has, I'm really glad it was you."

Snape didn't say anything, he just swept the girl into another hug. This time, Sam clung on to the contact like a lifeline. She hadn't had that kind of parental contact since she was a little girl; she'd been craving it for a long time. Finally, she pulled away, the urge to cry with threatening to overcome her.

"What time is it?" she asked, remembering that she was supposed to meet with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"It's one-fifty, why?"

"I need to go meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon, and I need to go back to Gryffindor Tower to pick up a few things. I need to go."

Snape nodded. "Alright, Sam. Why don't you meet me here after dinner, and we can talk more then?"

Sam smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Snape. For everything." She gave him one more quick hug before leaving the room. Snape watched her go, thinking that for once that Dumbledore had been right after all.

***_Line Break_***

Sam ran down the hall, in a hurry to meet her friends. She'd gotten to Gryffindor Tower alright, and she'd gotten her ink bottle and books, but she'd had to stop and play twenty questions with Pavarti Patil when she wanted to know why Sam was running around with all her schoolbooks on a Saturday. She turned a corner, head down, trying to shove her ink bottle into her bag.

"Hey, watch it!"

Sam felt herself crash headlong into someone, that someone stepping to the side and pushing her away from them. She fell knees-first to the floor, throwing out her hands to keep from falling flat on her face. _Crunch._

"Aw, dammit," she cursed, realizing that her ink bottle was still in her hand, or at least it had been. Now it was shattered on the ground, ink spreading everywhere, including all over her books, which were scattered on the floor. She went to pick one up, but stopped when pain sliced through her hand like a knife.

"Are you alright?" Sam could tell it was whomever she'd run into speaking. She nodded; she wasn' t dead, she would survive.

The voice, as far as she could tell since she hadn't looked at the person yet, belonged to a boy who was used to getting everything he wanted in life. He spoke with a drawl, which suggested that he was from one of those old, rich pureblood families she'd heard about.

"Merlin's beard, your hand!" the voice exclaimed.

She looked at her hand and gasped. There were at least five pieces of glass in it from the ink bottle, it was throbbing, and blood was trickling from each of her various cuts. All in all, it looked pretty bad. The boy was kneeling next to her now.

She started to wipe her hand on the sleeve of her robe, but stopped when she felt a hand on her wrist. Her head snapped up to come face-to-face with a boy who had pale skin, platinum blonde hair, and beautiful ashen eyes. Said beautiful ashen eyes were looking right at her, and she couldn't look away.

"Here, let me," the boy said, meaning her hand.

Sam nodded, finding that she couldn't speak. She kept her gaze a moment longer before looking down at her hand. She could feel the boy looking at her a few seconds longer before starting to repair her hand. There was a slightly awkward silence that grew while he worked. She noticed that he was a Slytherin, and realized that not everyone would have accepted his offer.

"You know," she said, keeping her head down and her gaze on her hand. "the Sorting Hat almost put me in Slytherin."

The boy stopped, and Sam knew he was staring at her, but she kept her head down and continued speaking.

"It didn't put me in Gryffindor until the very last second." She felt the gaze lower, and a minute later, the boy was loosening his tie, taking it off and tying it around her hand as a bandage. She looked up to find he was already looking at her.

"How?" he asked finally.

"How did it jump from Slytherin to Gryffindor?"

He nodded, so she continued.

"Well, it was gonna put me in Slytherin 'cause it would 'help me along the path I've already chosen', or somethin' like that."

"And what is this path of which you speak?"

Sam grinned. "Crime."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Of what sort?"

"Theft mostly. Of Muggle convenience stores."

"What on earth would you want _there_?"

"Three things: beer, cigarettes, and cheap thrills."

"What did you do with the beer, sell it? And what are cigarettes?"

"No, we didn't sell it; why should we? We drank it. And cigarettes are a Muggle thing. Illegal 'till you're eighteen. Don't tell Professor Snape this, he'd have my head, but I still got a couple packs locked away. Maybe I'll show you sometime."

"How about next Saturday?"

"Sounds good. Meet me at the path to the lake. I know a great hiding spot near there."

"Alright."

"Anyway, back to the Hat. After it said that, it said there was doubt in me, and I'm apparently brave when it comes to my friends, so it said it'd be better for me to figure everything out in Gryffindor. So it put me there."

The boy stood up. "Pity. You would've done brilliant in Slytherin." He offered a hand to Sam, and she took it, allowing him to help her up.

"Yeah, I guess. By the way, what's your name?"

The boy stepped back and bowed deeply. "I am Draco Malfoy," he said. "Pleased to finally meet you, Miss Sam Biluxy."

Sam smiled. "I hope you realize I'm not gonna curtsy, although it's cool to meet you too, Mr. Draco Malfoy. Hmm… Draco. I like that name, it sounds kinda like a dragon. Am I right?"

Draco grinned, and Sam felt her heart flutter. _"He has a really cute smile,"_ she thought.

"Very good, Ms. Biluxy. I am named after the constellation Draco, or the Dragon."

"Oh, please, don't call me 'Biluxy' or 'Ms. Biluxy'. I know it's a culture thing, but please call me Sam."

"Alright Sam, and you can call me Draco."

Sam smiled, but it faded quickly at the sight of her books lying forlornly in a puddle of ink.

"Damn, they're ruined," she said.

Draco pulled out his wand. "Not quite," he replied. He muttered a few spells, and soon all the ink was back in the repaired bottle; none of it was on her books, which were all in a neat stack. Draco muttered another spell, and the books and ink were placed neatly in her bag.

Sam gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Draco returned the smile, and once again Sam's heart fluttered. "Anytime."

"Speaking of time, what time is it?"

"About two-thirty. Why?"

"Oh man. I was supposed to meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione a half hour ago. They're gonna kill me."

Something Sam couldn't quite detect hardened in Draco's tone. "The Golden Trio?"

"What?" Sam asked, confused. "Oh, yeah. They're my friends. Is there something wrong with that?"

Whatever had been in Draco's voice went away. "No, nothing at all."

"So, I'll see you later." It sounded like a question.

"That can be arranged."

Sam gave him a smile. "Great. So— bye."

Draco took her uninjured hand and briefly pressed his lips to it, making Sam's heart beat wildly. "Goodbye, Sam," he said, releasing her hand.

"'Bye, Draco," Sam replied, turning around and walking away a bit before stopping. She turned around to find he was still there. "Oh, and about Saturday. One o'clock good?"

Draco nodded and grinned. Sam smiled back and waved, practically running to the lake where she was supposed to meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She stopped before she was within eyesight of them, raising her injured hand and, on an impulse, smelled Draco's tie.

"_Oh, my God,"_ she thought as her head spun pleasantly. Then she realized what she was doing, and shook her head, like a dog would to get rid of water. _"What the hell am I doing? I already have Josh, why am I flirting with Draco? And I need to stop acting like a prep before I become one." _She shook her head once more before sprinting the rest of the way to the lake.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late; I was talking to Mr. Snape."

The three friends nodded in acceptance as Sam sat down with them, pulling a book out to start her homework. They sat in a peaceful silence until Ron saw her hand, or more importantly, what was on it.

"What the _bloody hell_ is that?!" he exclaimed.

Sam was confused. "What's what?" she asked.

Harry saw it too. "He means what the _hell_ is on your hand?"

Hermione saw it as well, but stood up for Sam. "Come on, you two, I'm sure there's a good reason for why Sam's wearing that. Sam?"

Sam didn't want to tell them the truth, so she told them a half-lie. "I got done talking to Mr. Snape, and it was already past two. I was running, and I tripped, fell, and cut my hand, 'cause I'm a klutz like that. I was repacking my bag, and someone just threw this at me and kept goin'. I never even saw who it was. What's the big deal, anyway?"

"The _big deal_," Harry replied, sounding very much angry, "is that you, a Gryffindor, are wearing the tie of a Slytherin! Do you get what that's like?"

Sam was becoming angry with the two boys. "No, I don't! So why don't you _educate_ me?"

"It's like saying 'I hate Gryffindor, but I'm _in_ Gryffindor'!" Ron shouted. "It's like, in America, wearing a shirt that says 'America's stupid, but I'm an American'!"

"Okay, I get it!" Sam shouted over them. "God, I didn't know it was like that, cut me a break, will ya'? I'll take it off before I go back to the castle, but right now I need it to stop me from bleeding all over my homework."

Harry and Ron looked ready to protest, but Hermione stopped them. "That's a good idea, Sam, and don't worry about it. They shouldn't have reacted like that; you didn't know, did you?"

Sam looked directly at Harry and Ron, seeming to want to glare a hole in them. "No, I didn't. If I did, I never would've taken it."

With the two girls silently glaring at them, Harry and Ron felt uncomfortable. Finally, they cracked. "Sorry, Sam, we shouldn't have shouted at you. You didn't know," Harry apologized.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, how're you supposed to know about House rivalries yet? I'm sorry, too."

"S'alright. What d'you mean by House rivalries?"

"It's inter-House competition," Harry replied. "They have it every year, and it makes the Houses try to best each other, mostly through Quidditch. Slytherin is always the one we have to look out for, and they're usually the snarkiest of all the other Houses. No one likes them, but Gryffindor and Slytherin take it to the next level."

"Oh, I get it. I messed up big time, didn't I?"

"Not really. You didn't know. But if you did it again, then yes, you would have messed up big time."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak ya'll out. Hey, Hermione, how do you start a Charms essay?"

Hermione helped her, and the four once again settled into a companionable silence that was broken only by the scratching of quills. Sam's mind wandered to her meeting of Draco, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. She wanted to know more about him, but she didn't know if she should ask or not. For all she knew, Hermione didn't know him at all. She decided to take a chance.

"Hey, Hermione?"

"Hmmm?"

"What d'you know 'bout a boy named Draco?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Sam. Hermione cleared her throat.

"Um, why do you want to know?"

"No reason. I was just wondering if you knew him."

"Yes, we do know him."

"Cool, what's he like?"

"Um, well—,"

"He's a snarky git," Ron spat.

"Ron!"

Harry joined in. "Hermione, you know it's true. Don't deny it."

"But we don't want to turn her against him before she's even met him! Sam should be able to make her own opinions, not blindly follow yours!"

Ron took over. "Hermione, this is _Draco Malfoy_ we're talking about. He's going to act the same as usual, and her opinion is going to end up being the same as ours!"

Sam spoke up. "Hey, not that I don't _love it_ when ya'll talk about me like I'm not here or anythin', but what the hell are ya'll talkin' 'bout?"

"Malfoy," Harry answered. "Who did you hear about him from?"

"What? I met him. On my way here from Mr. Snape's office after I was done talkin' to 'im." Sam realized a second too late that that was the wrong thing to say.

Ron's eyes widened as he looked at the tie on Sam's hand again. "So that's _Malfoy's _tie?"

"Uh, did I say I met him? I meant… uh… I meant…"

"You met him," Harry stated. "You met him, and now you have his tie. What did he do to you?"

"Do? What d'you mean?"

"What did he do that made your hand get cut?"

"N-nothing. He didn't _do_ anythin'. It was _my_ fault."

Hermione saw that Sam was getting uncomfortable with all of the two boys' drilling, and she stepped in. "Harry, Ron, stop. Let Sam tell us what happened."

The two boys stopped questioning her, and Sam gave Hermione a grateful look.

"Ok, so here's how it went down, from the beginning. Ginny and I were talking in the Common Room, and Neville came and told us that Mr. Snape was outside the portrait hole, and that he wanted to talk to me. I took my bag and met up with him, and we went to his office. There, he told me that he wanted to become my legal guardian, and I agreed."

"Snape is your legal guardian?" Ron asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, and I'm meeting him after dinner to talk some more."

Hermione smiled. "Congratulations. You must be happy."

Sam returned the smile. "Thanks, we both are. But anyway, I had to leave 'cause it was almost two, and I'd forgotten my ink bottle and some books in Gryffindor Tower. When I got to the dorms, Pavarti Patil decided she wanted to play twenty questions with me. When I got away from her, it was already past two. I was running here, and I turned a corner without looking and ran into Draco, literally."

"Draco?" Harry asked. "You're on first name terms with him?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal? I asked him to call me Sam, and he told me I could call him Draco. Anyway, I fell and crunched the ink bottle in my hand; there was a _ton_ of glass in it. Draco insisted he help me, so he fixed my hand and then repaired my ink bottle and helped with my books. We talked for a while, and then I realized it was past two-thirty, so I told him I had to go meet ya'll and left. And then I got here."

"And that's it?"

"Yeah, that's it. He was real nice, too."

"Nice?" asked Ron incredulously. "Are we talking about the same Draco Malfoy?"

"Yeah, how many people d'you know who's name's Draco?"

"Point taken. I don't believe it, though. Malfoy acting nice? Sounds fishy to me."

"What are you saying, Ron?" asked Hermione.

"All I'm saying is that I won't believe it until I see it. D'you still have the Marauder's Map, Harry?"

"Yeah, it's right here," Harry replied, taking the piece of folded parchment out of his bag. Realization dawned on his face. "Oh, I get where you're going. _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._" He looked at the map for a few seconds. "He's by the clock tower."

"What on earth are the two of you talking about?" Hermione asked.

"We don't believe that Malfoy is capable of being decent; we want to see it for ourselves," Ron explained.

"And why can't you just take Sam's word for it?"

"Come on, Hermione, it's Malfoy. How do we know that it's not some plan?"

"But why do you automatically think it _is_?"

"What are you guys _talkin'_ 'bout?" Sam asked.

"Harry and Ron don't believe that Malfoy could actually be nice, so they want you to 'accidentally' meet up with him so they can see if it's true."

"Alright, but d'you think he'll act the same if ya'll are here too? He didn't look real happy when I mentioned ya'll."

"That's why Harry and I'll be under the Invisibility Cloak, so he won't know we're here. It's okay if Hermione's with you; he doesn't seem to hate her as much as he does us."

"I don't know… Oh, fine, I'll go."

"Thanks Sam. Come on, Ron, under the Cloak."

The two boys disappeared under the Invisibility Cloak, which, true to its name, rendered them invisible. "Where is he?" asked Sam.

"He's in the courtyard, the one you have to go through to get here. Does he know you're over here?" Harry's voice said.

"I don't know, he might, 'cause that's the way I went when I left. C'mon, Hermione, let's go. And for the record, it's creepy to hear ya'lls voices when I can't see you." With that, the two girls headed off in the direction of the courtyard.

In just a few minutes they were within eyesight of the courtyard, and sure enough, there was Malfoy, sitting pensively on the edge of a fountain as the sky faded into darkness.

"So, Hermione, how d'you get all this homework done? There don't seem to be enough hours in the day."

Hermione smiled. "That's what the night is for. There's no such thing as sleep when you have so much of it."

Sam laughed, and they could see Malfoy's head snap up. "Geez, and I thought homework in America was bad. Although, all the teachers there really care 'bout is us passin' the standardized tests."

"Standardized tests? You have to take them too?"

"Yeah, and lemme tell you, we don't call it F-Crap for nothin'."

Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh, and Sam pretended to be surprised to see Malfoy there.

"Hey, Draco, what's up?" she asked.

"Hello again, Sam. Hello, Granger."

Hermione nodded her head. "Hello, Malfoy."

"Sam, you left this earlier. I thought you might want it back." Malfoy handed her some Potions notes.

Sam smiled. "Thanks Draco, I'd prob'ly have torn up the Common Room looking for them."

Malfoy grinned. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Where were you two going?"

"We were just goin' to the library to finish our homework; it's gettin' too dark to do it outside anymore."

"Ah, do you mind if I accompany you? I was about to go meet some of my fellow fourth years in our Common Room anyway. The library isn't too far from there."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all."

"I don't mind, do you, Hermione?"

"I don't mind," Hermione replied.

"It's settled then, I'll go with you to the library."

The walk to the library was a medium-sized one, and Malfoy and Sam chatted the whole time, sometimes Malfoy asking Sam questions about her childhood, and sometimes Sam asking Malfoy questions about his.

"So, since none of us bought tickets to the dance, we decided to go crash it instead. It was hilarious; you should've been there. There was Silly String _everywhere_ for about a week after; they couldn't get rid of it."

Malfoy chuckled. "Pity I wasn't there. It would've been a sight to see."

"You bet it was," Sam replied, laughing, as they reached the library. "Well, we're here."

Malfoy's face fell slightly for about half a second before he covered it with a grin. "Yes, we are. Well, it looks like this is goodbye for now."

"See you around." It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Malfoy smiled. "Of course, we have classes together."

"Oh, yeah. Well, 'bye."

Malfoy looked indecisive for a moment, looking from Sam to Hermione and back to Sam. Finally he seemed to make a decision, and once again took Sam's uninjured hand and briefly pressed his lips to it before letting it go. "Goodbye, Sam," he said softly. He looked at Hermione. "Goodbye, Granger." He turned around and walked away, leaving Hermione and Sam to watch him go. As soon as he was out of eyesight, Harry and Ron threw off the Cloak, looking at Sam disbelievingly.

"Did he just-," Ron started, but couldn't seem to finish his sentence. Harry was just as surprised.

"What was _that_?" he asked.

"What d'you mean?" asked Sam.

"That!" Harry was having difficulties finding the words. "That…That…thing! That thing he did! At the end! He… and your hand… and… you know what I mean!"

"What?"

"That… thing he did just before he said goodbye! What was _that_? You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Oh, that. I dunno what it was for; I guess maybe it's just somethin' he does?"

"He's _never_ done that before, not even to the Slytherin girls," Ron said.

"Has he done it before?" Harry asked.

Sam suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah, he has."

"When?"

"Earlier today, when I met him, just before I left when I was sayin' 'bye."

Hermione, who'd looked thoughtful before, spoke up. "Sam, I may be wrong, but… I think Malfoy fancies you."

"He… what?"

"He fancies you. Has a crush on you."

"What? No, it can't be like that. He's just bein' nice, is all. Right?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Just out of curiosity, how did you and Josh get together?"

Sam reddened. "Um, we'd been flirtin' for awhile, and everyone saw it. One day Ricky pulled his knife on us and said that if we didn't make out right there he would slash us. So we did, and then Josh went 'So, does this mean we're together?' and then I was like, 'I guess.' That was pretty much it."

"So you really don't have a clue when it comes to this kind of thing?"

"Nope, not at all."

"Well, I have to say, he acted a lot like he fancies you."

"No, there's gotta be another reason. Right?" She looked to Harry and Ron for confirmation.

"I don't know, Sam, I think Hermione's right," Harry said.

"Me, too," agreed Ron.

"I don't know…me? No, there's gotta be another reason. There's just gotta be."

The four friends returned to the Common Room, where they worked on their homework and didn't mention Draco Malfoy again for the whole night.

The next week passed quickly, and soon it was Saturday, and Sam was waiting at the path to the lake with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in her pocket. It didn't take long for Draco to appear.

"Hey, Sam," he said, standing behind her. She jumped about a foot in the air.

"Holy shit! Don't do that to me!"

"Aren't you going to say hello?" Draco asked, smirking.

"Hi. You ready?"

"Yeah. Where are we going?"

"To a place by the lake where no one will find us. C'mon."

Draco followed her, marking out in his mind where they were going. They walked a bit around the lake until they came to a little outcropping of rock near the edge of the lake. Sam crawled in, and Draco saw that the rocks made a little cave. He came in after her; they had to sit close, but they fit. Sam took the pack of cigarettes and her lighter out of her pocket, and she took two of the cigarettes out of the package, handing one to Draco, who looked at it oddly.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" he asked.

Sam laughed. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. You don't know what a cigarette is. Here, like this." She placed her cigarette between her teeth, and then took his out of his hand and placed it between his lips. She took the lighter and lit his cigarette, lighting hers after. She took a hit off it and then leaned back, sighing contentedly.

"So what exactly do you do with this?"

Sam looked at Draco and laughed. "You breathe the smoke."

Draco did so tentatively. "Why does my head feel tingly?"

"There's some kind of chemical in it, called nicotine, which does that to you. It makes you addicted to it."

And so they went on, Draco asking questions about everything, and Sam answering them the best she could. After a while, they ran out of things to say, and they sat in a companionable silence. Just as Sam's cigarette was about to burn out, Draco felt he had to speak.

"Sam, I know it's early for me to say this, but I really need to get it off my chest."

Sam didn't say anything; she watched him carefully, her cigarette resting between her fingers.

"I know I've only known you for about a week, but I can't help it; I like you. I mean, I really like you. In fact…" He cupped a hand to her cheek, and leaned forward, his lips catching hers. After a few moments he pulled away, noticing with shock that tears were falling down her face.

"Draco, I'm sorry but… I already have a boyfriend." She crawled out of their hiding place and stood up, running back toward the castle, feeling horrible for what had just happened.

Draco stood by their hiding place near the lake, watching her go. A lone tear slid down his face as he realized what he'd just done.

* * *

**Thanks so much to Corona14 for reading this and helping me along with ideas. Love you like a sister!!**

**~artyluvr  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi again!!!**

**Okay, don't hurt me, I know it's been forever since I've updated this story, but I HAVE A REASON!!! My dad thought that writing was making my grades drop from spending so much time on it, so he told me that if he ever saw me writing again, he'd take the papers and rip them up. So, of course I went and wrote anyway. Here's how I did it: I wrote at school, and I gave the pages to my friend (Corona14) to type for me. Well, she didn't have any time to do it, because she had to watch her brothers. I decided to give the pages to my other friend, who shortly after got grounded. Lot's of things happened in between, but to make a long story short: I got a computer for Christmas, so my parents are letting me type on it as long as I do my homework first.**

**Told you it was a good reason! Anyway, you'll be getting updates much faster, because all I have to do at the moment is type what I read. So enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 6- Love Drunk and Hangovers**_

Sam blindly ran, her only thought being, _"Get to the castle." _She felt tears running down her face and let them run unchecked. She ran inside the castle, intending to run to an empty classroom, when she ran into someone. She mumbled "Sorry," and tried to go in the opposite direction, but she felt the person grab her wrists, keeping her there.

"Sam?"

She would recognize that soft, silky baritone anywhere. She opened her eyes and looked into the face of Severus Snape, her newest father figure. She could see the concern in his obsidian eyes, and she hated the fact that it was directed towards her. She looked away, trying to break his grip, to no avail.

"Sam, are you alright?"

Sam nodded her head, looking at the walls, the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but at Snape. The professor let go of her wrists and instead took her shoulders, holding her at arm's length.

"Look at me, Sam," he said in a gentle yet firm tone. She raised her eyes, keeping her head lowered. She brought her hands to her face, wiping her tears away.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

Sam shook her head. "'M fine," she mumbled.

Snape smirked. "If you're going to lie to me, at least do it convincingly."

"I don't wanna talk 'bout it."

"How about we go to my quarters, hmm? Maybe you'd rather talk there."

Sam nodded, and Snape placed a hand on her back, leading her to the dungeons where his private quarters were. The entered through a painting, and Snape directed Sam to a couch, having her sit down.

"Stay there; I'll be back in a moment," he instructed.

He went to another room, returning a moment later with two mugs of steaming tea. He sat next to Sam, handing her one of the mugs.

"Now," he said, placing an arm around her, "why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Sam remained silent, staring into her mug of tea.

"Shall I guess, then?"

Slowly, she nodded.

"Does it have to do with school?"

Sam shook her head.

"Home?"

Another shake.

"Boys?"

Third time's the charm, they say. Sam nodded.

"Did Josh do something?"

She shook her head.

"Sam, I can't guess all day. Why don't you just tell me?"

After a moment, the girl spoke. "I'm just confused, is all."

"About?"

"Well, I'm _Josh's_ girlfriend, but I'm starting to think I like a different guy, who I know likes me back. Problem is, I know next to nothin' 'bout him, and I can't get Harry, Ron , or Hermione to tell me anythin' 'bout him."

"Does he go to school here?"

Sam nodded.

"Is he in Gryffindor?"

She shook her head.

"Ravenclaw?"

Another shake.

"Hufflepuff?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Slytherin?"

Finally she nodded her head.

"Is he in your year?"

"I think so."

"Well, who is it?"

"His name's Draco."

"Draco _Malfoy_?"

"M-hmm."

"And how do you feel about him?"

"I dunno, he's a good friend, but..."

"But?"

"But I don't know if I want him to be anythin' else."

Snape held the girl closer, wanting her to feel secure.

"I'm going to tell you this straight off, alright? Right now, I don't know how to be a parent. I'm figuring it out as we go I _do _know that you should make your decision based on your own opinions, not on what other people tell you. And I want you to know that I'll support whatever decision you end up making. Alright?"

Sam smiled. "Yeah, thanks, Mr. Snape."

"Anytime, Sam. Now come here," Snape replied, reaching his other arm out to hug the girl. She scooted closer, hugging him back. They sat like that for a few minutes before Sam pulled away, saying that she needed to meet her friends in Gryffindor before they sent out a search party. Snape let her go, knowing that he'd made her feel better.

* * *

Weeks passed quickly, leaves changing colors and the weather turning colder, Sam complaining about the temperatures constantly. Everything was fine until one Saturday when Sam's life came to a standstill. She was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, talking with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny when her cell phone vibrated.

"Sorry, I've got a text, hold on," she said, pulling out the little device. She flipped it open, and her five friends watched her expression change from contentment to disbelief to finally despair. She looked back up at her friends with tears in her eyes.

"I need a minute. See y'all later," she said, standing up and running out of the room The five friends looked at each other for a moment before standing up and following her. They saw her go into an empty classroom, slamming the door. They went to the door and heard her talking to someone on her cell phone.

"Are you sure, Ricky? That don't seem like him..."

They could hear the reply. "Yeah, I'm sure. Look, Sam, I'm really sorry."

"S'okay, EB, it's not like you told him t'do it."

"True that, true that. Guess you wanna chew him out now?"

"You know it. I'll text you later."

"A'ight, 'bye Sam."

"'Bye Ricky."

There was silence for a few moments, then they heard ringing as Sam called someone else.

"'Lo?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione recognized Josh's voice.

"Hey, Josh, what's up?"

"Sam! Uh, I'm good, how 'bout you?"

"Oh, great, just great. I just got an interestin' text from Ricky. D'you knkow what it's 'bout?"

"Uh, no, what's it 'bout?"

"It's a picture of you makin' out with Petra Santina, that's what!"

"...Oh."

"Oh? Is that all you gotta say? I'm over here thinkin' everythin's great; school's fine, I've got you, I'm keepin' up with the boys, and then Ricky sends me a picture of you suckin' face with pretty, preppy, popular Petra behind the school! The _hell _is that all 'bout?"

"See, there's a reason for that--,"

"Oh, I'm sure there is! And you know what? I really don't give a damn! The point is, I thought I could trust you, but now I know that I can't!"

"What are you gettin' at?"

"I can't be with someone I can't trust."

"...What are you sayin'?"

"It's _over_, Josh."

"You know what? Fine. Petra'd make a better girlfriend than you anyway."

Sam gasped. "Oh, no you did _not_ just say that. You effin' bastard! If I was over there right now I'd--,"

"Yeah, but you're not here, are you? You _left_ us for some frickin' _private school!_ The hell were you thinkin'? You _never_ went to school before if you could avoid it! Then some British people show up, and two days later you're gone!"

"Look, Josh, I'm not gonna sit here and listen to your shit, 'kay? I left 'cause I wanted to, not 'cause anyone showed up. I was sick and tired of bein' scared of my dad. This school had _nothin'_ t'do with it. And if you ever talk shit 'bout Mr. Snape, Harry, Ron, or Hermione again, I'm gonna make you wish you were never born, ya' hear?"

"Whatever, bitch. I'm outta here. Have a nice life."

"I will! _Without_ you. Oh, and by the way, do yourself a favor and go eff yourself. That's right, I said it. Have _fun_."

They heard her slam the phone, and a few moments later heard the scraping of a chair. Harry opened the door and was shocked at what he saw. He saw Sam sitting at a desk, crying her eyes out. The five friends didn't hesitate in walking over to her and patting her on the back, but Sam ignored them, burying her face in her arms and resting them on the desk in front of her.

"Neville," Harry said softly, "go and get Professor Snape. He'll know what to do."

Neville paled, but nodded and left. A few minutes later he returned, Snape following close behind. The man instructed the teenagers to move away from the girl to give her space.

"I told him what happened," Neville told Harry.

Harry nodded, patting Neville on the back. "Well done, Neville."

Meanwhile, Snape had sat down next to Sam and was patting her on the back. He leaned closer to her, speaking softly.

"It's okay, Sam, it's okay."

He got no response, and he scooped her into his arms, getting no resistance. He sat her on his lap and hugged her. Sam reacted, burying her face in his chest, holding onto him like he was a lifeline. After a few minutes her tears ran dry, and she loosened her grip on the man, sniffling.

"Feel better?" asked Snape. Sam nodded.

"Good, then come along." He stood her up, then, placing a hand on her back, led her out of the room. The five friends watched them go, feeling helpless for their friend. They left the classroom, heading toward Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Sam and Snape had just entered Snape's quarters. They were heading to the couch when Sam suddenly stopped, turning around and leaning into Snape, who had to stop walking quickly in order to not run her over. He felt her arms encircle his waist and looked down at the girl who was currently burying her face in his chest. It took him a moment to realize she was crying. He held her close, stroking her hair with one hand.

"Sh, it's alright. Don't cry anymore. Hush now, child, everything will be alright."

Unnoticed by the two of them, the portrait hole to Snape's quarters opened, admitting a certain fair-haired boy holding a letter.

"Professor, I've gotten a rather strange letter from my father, maybe you can help...," he said, stopping when he looked up to see the two embracing. "Erm, am I interrupting something?"

Sam, hearing the voice, looked up, gasping at who she saw in the doorway. She buried her face once again in Snape's chest, wishing very much that she could go invisible. Snape gently disentangled himself from her grasp, holding her at arm's length.

"I'll only be a moment. Go on and sit at the couch while you wait. I'll just be in the next room."

Sam sniffed once. "'Kay." She turned and walked to the couch, sitting on it and bringing her knees to her chest.

"Come, Draco," Snape said, motioning to the boy. "What did you want to talk about?"

Draco waited until they were safely in the next room to ask. "Sir, what was that about?"

Snape sighed. He should have known Draco would ask. "Sam has just had a particularly nasty falling out with her boyfriend."

Draco's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"I don't know everything yet, but I understand that he went and snogged a girl Sam greatly dislikes. She only found out because one of her friends took a picture on his cell phone and sent it to her."

"Oh, poor Sam, she must be heartbroken... No offense, sir, but why did she go to you? You're not even her Head of House."

Snape knew he could trust Draco, but first he had to make sure. "Am I right in assuming that this will be confidential?"

"Of course, sir."

"Good." Snape went on to tell the boy of going to America and getting Sam, leaving out anything that had to do with her abuse or criminal record. He also told the boy of how he was now her legal guardian. He then asked Draco about his letter.

"Oh, yes, I don't understand it... Father told me to keep an eye on Sam, but I can't figure out why."

Snape thought for a moment. "I don't know either; I'll try and find out."

"Thank you, Professor."

The two returned to the living room to find Sam asleep on the couch. Snape went and sat on the edge of the couch, brushing her bangs away from her face.

"Get up, Sam. Come on, wake up."

Sam groaned, turning away from him. "Five more minutes. 'S all I need."

Snape chuckled. "No Sam, you'll never get up then."

"Point." Sam sat up and rubbed at her eyes, yawning. It was then she noticed Draco.

"Uh, hey Draco," she greeted, holding up a hand.

"Hello Sam, how are you doing?"

"Okay." She looked up at Snape, questioning in her eyes.

"I told him everything Longbottom told me."

Sam nodded. "Does he know about...?"

"Yes, I told him about that as well."

"'Kay. Draco, why y'all still standin'? 'S alright for you to sit down."

Draco came and sat down on Sam's left side. The girl smiled at him.

"Sam? Would you tell me what happened?"

The girl nodded. "I was hangin' out in the Common Room with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville when Ricky texted me... that picture. I left the Common Room and went to an empty classroom, and I called Ricky to make sure I knew what had happened. After I was done talkin' to him, I called Josh. I pretty much just cussed him out for the first few minutes. Then he started cussin' back."

"What did he say?" asked Snape.

"Basically that I had it comin'. He tried to blame it on y'all, 'cause of how I left two days after y'all showed up."

"And what did you say?"

"That I'd bash his face in if he said anythin' like that 'bout y'all again. I ended pretty soon after that when i told him to go eff himself and hung up."

"Shall I go kill him for you?"

"Nah, it's too much paperwork."

"Can I at least seriously injure him?"

Sam laughed. "Nah, that's one of those things where it don't mean as much if someone does it for me. It's less personal, you know?"

"Ah, I see."

All of a sudden, Sam's phone started vibrating. She pulled the little device out of her pocket.

"Speak of the devil. Y'all mind if I answer?" Seeing that neither did, she opened the phone, pressing the SPKR button as she did so.

"What?"

"Sam, I need to talk to you," came the semi-deep voice.

"No shit, Sherlock. What 'bout?"

"It's 'bout the boys."

Seeing Draco's look, Sam shook her head. _"Later,"_ she mouthed. "What 'bout the boys?"

"They got nabbed."

Antarctica was warmer than Sam's voice. "What?"

"And Ricky got shot."

"What? How?"

"Old Man Pearson got himself a gun."

"And how did _you_ not get nabbed?"

"I was ahead of 'em."

"So lemme get this straight. Y'all decide to rob Old Man Pearson, who we both know always kept a knife in the register. _You_ run out first, leavin' Ricky to get shot and Alan, Bobby, and Zack to get nabbed while you get off completely free?"

"Um, yes? But Ricky's alright, he's just in the hospital."

"Oh, is that all? He shouldn't have been hurt at all! D'you know where he's goin' when he gets out? He's gonna have to go home! You should've stayed and left last; I'm not there anymore, you gotta make sure everyone's alright!"

"Oh, yeah? Don't you go blamin' me, I'm still gettin' used to this leadership crap. If you were still here, you'd be able to help. But oh yeah, some frickin' British dude came along and you left!"

"Shut the hell up! I _told_ you not to bring Mr. Snape into this! He has _nothin'_ t'do with any of this!"

"Yeah, well guess what? _I brought him into this!_ If he hadn't shown up, you'd still be here! I know you; there's no way in hell you would leave us for some private school. The hell did he have t'do to get you to leave, anyway?"

Sam shuddered. "Ugh, get your mind outta the frickin' gutter. You know as well as I do that I had my own reasons for leavin'."

"Oh yeah? So this dude had nothin' t'do with it? Pure coincidence, I'm sure."

"Now you're just bein' a smart-ass. I'd been lookin' for a way out for years, and he showed me which way to go."

"Way out? What're you talkin' 'bout? What were you lookin' for a 'way out' from?"

"I was lookin' for a way to get away from my dad, and you know it. I was sick and tired of worryin' 'bout when he's come home next, of worryin' 'bout how mad he'd be, ot worryin' whether or not he'd be pissed enough to stay longer than a day. I was tired of bein' _scared_, and I leapt at the chance to leave that."

"...Wow. You just sounded like one of those Hallmark Channel movies. I didn't know you could do that."

"_Why_ do I even bother with you? God, I swear I must've been drunk when you asked me out."

"Not _drunk_, exactly... That came after."

"Are you tryin' to tell me somethin'?"

"Well..."

"Spill."

"Well, see, no one thought you'd say yes if you were sober. So we waited 'till you ran out of cigarettes, then Bobby gave you one he made."

"So now you're tellin' me that I spent the last two years of my life with a guy that had to get me _high_ to ask me out? Now I _know_ it was a complete waste of time."

"What? You've gotta--,"

"No, don't even start. This conversation is over."

"You know what? Fine. I'm sorry I ever tried to fill you in 'bout the boys. I'll _never_ make that mistake again. Have a nice life."

"I will! You wanna know why? 'Cause you're not gonna be in it! I said it before and I'll say it again: go screw yourself, 'cause that's the only action you're _ever_ gonna get!"

Sam slammed the phone shut, in her anger throwing it across the room. She grabbed a pillow that was resting on the couch and buried her face in it, screaming into it. She soon stopped, but Snape and Draco could tell she was crying by the shaking of her shoulders. Snape lifted his wand and banished the pillow. For a split second, they were able to see her tear-stained face before she gasped and covered her face with her hands.

Snape placed a hand on the girl's back, rubbing small circles on it. Suddenly he had an idea.

"I'll be right back," he stated, standing up and heading to another room. As he passed Draco, he leaned down and whispered, "Help her," before leaving the room altogether.

"Er... Are you alright?" the boy asked, feeling very much that it was a stupid question. Sam lifted her head, looking at him.

"Truthfully? No, I'm not, but I will be... And I'm not upset for the reasons you think. I really don't give a damn that he cheated; I'm upset 'cause I thought I frickin' _loved_ him!"

More tears fell, and Sam wiped them away, looking angry that they'd fallen. Draco was at a loss at what to say, so he gently wrapped his arms around the girl, comforting her.

"I would never hurt you like this," he said quietly. "Why don't you--,"

Sam cut him off. "Draco, I'm sorry, but I'm just not ready for that yet."

The boy nodded. "I understand." He gently kissed her forehead. "I'll be here when you're ready."

She leaned into the boy. "Thanks, I'll remember that."

From just outside the room, Snape smirked to himself. He _knew_ Draco could help her.

_**Chapter 6- End**_

* * *

**There!**

**Was it worth the wait? I hope so! Please be nice and review; I need to know if you liked it and if I made any spelling/grammar mistakes. Thank you all so much!**

**3 artyluvr**


	7. Chapter 7

**::Gasp:: Two chapters in less than a week! I _told_ you that updates would be coming sooner! Okay, so I know that the last two chapters (chapters 6 & 7) are shorter than usual. Before, it was one massive chapter. It was just too much, so I split it into two separate chapters. Anyway, thanks to haria, Corona14, and MCR-rox-667, who have withstood my millions of questions and without whom this story wouldn't be possible. Thanks you guys! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 7- Judging Books by their Covers**_

Days passed, and soon Sam was at her first Hogwarts detention. It'd started in Defense class. Sam had been zoning out in class, thinking about Josh. She didn't even see Professor Moody standing next to her desk until his hand slammed on the top of it, making her jump.

"Miss Biluxy," he barked, "would you care to repeat the last sentence I said?" It wasn't a question.

"Um..." Sam thought for a moment. "Miss Biluxy, would you care to repeat the last sentence I said?" She hounded hopeful.

"Detention, Biluxy, for your cheek. I'll be expecting you at six o'clock tonight. Don't be late." He turned and walked toward the front of the room, Sam sticking her tongue out at the man's back.

"Congratulations, Biluxy, that little display of immaturity just bought yourself a week's detention," Moody said, not turning around,

Sam looked at the man in open-mouthed shock. How could he have seen her? When the teacher got to the front of the room and turned to face the class, Sam shut her mouth and crossed her arms, slouching down in her seat and glaring at the professor.

"Keep that up and it'll be two weeks."

Reluctantly, Sam sat up and uncrossed her arms, glaring down at her desk. She remained that way until the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Sam collected her things and was out the door before half the class had stood. She power-walked away from the classroom, angry thoughts running through her mind.

* * *

Too soon in Sam's mind, she was making her way back to the classroom, dread in every step. She heard the clock strike six, and she was knocking on the door before the chimes had faded away. The door opened and Sam walked in, seeing Moody finish taking a swig from the flask at his hip.

"Biluxy," he said as he saw her, "good. At least you're on time." He handed her a plethora of strange objects, along with a rag and a can of polish. "Polish these. No magic."

Sam looked down at the rusty and incredibly dirty objects, mentally sighing. Knowing that she'd most likely be doing this for all seven detentions, she found a seat in the middle of the room and began polishing.

Time slowed to a crawl as Sam rubbed at the brass object she was currently polishing. She looked up at the wall clock and was startled to find that she'd only been there for ten looked back down, moments later looking back up at a knock on the door.

"Malfoy," barked Moody, "you're late."

"I was--,"

"I don't want to hear it. Go, you're doing the same as Biluxy. Polish thost, no magic."

A rag and can of polish was thrust into Draco's hands. Looking disgusted, he walked over and sat next to Sam.

"Seriously?" he muttered under his breath. "No magic. We'll be here all night!"

Sam fought the urge to chuckle, asking instead, "What're you here for?"

The boy smirked. "Pranked a Ravenclaw in Herbology."

"Nice."

Time passed much quicker with Draco, and seven o'clock came quickly. Sam and Draco looked to Moody as soon as the clock struck seven, hoping to be let out. As soon as he finished taking a swig from his hip flask, he addressed the two students.

"That's all for today. You can leave."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Draco and Sam were up and heading for the door.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around," Sam said once they were in the hall.

"I'll walk you to Gryffindor Tower. That is, unless you don't want--,"

Sam slapped a hand over his mouth. "I don't mind. C'mon."

The question that had been lurking in the back of Draco's mind sprang out of his mouth as they were walking.

"Are you over Josh yet?" Mentally the boy winced. "I mean--,"

"It's alright," interrupted Sam. "No, not completely, not yet. But I gotta feelin' that I will be soon."

They chatted amiably, soon reaching the Fat Lady. Draco, who hadn't actually been to the Tower before, looked skeptically at the painting.

"_This_ is what guards your dormitories?"

"I _can_ hear you, you know!" said the Fat Lady, crossing her arms indignantly.

"Don't worry," Sam told him quietly, "she's better-behaved when she's tipsy."

"Really." The boy looked thoughtful.

"Well, I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, I guess. Goodbye, Sam."

Sam stepped forward and hugged the boy in front of her. "'Bye, Draco." He watched her go over to the Fat Lady, saying "Balderdash" just loud enough for him to hear. The portrait opened, and Sam winked before raising a hand in farewell and climbing into her Common Room. Draco also raised a hand before leaving, going back to the dungeons.

* * *

"Hey, Hermione?" asked Sam a few days later at lunch. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure, Sam," replied Hermione, looking up from her book.

"D'you know 'bout any potion you need to take every hour to keep workin'?"

Hermione looked uneasily at Ron and Harry, who'd heard the question.

"There's one... It's called the Polyjuice Potion. Why?"

"What does it do?"

"It turns the drinker into someone else for an hour. _Why?_"

"It's nothin'... I just had an idea, is all."

"What kind of idea?"

"Well, everyday, Moody takes a swig of whatever's in his flask when I get to detention at six, and one when I leave at seven. But he never does it any other time."

"Are you saying that Moody's an impostor?"

"I ain't sayin' nothin'. It's just weird."

By this time, Harry and Ron were fully in the conversation.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" asked Harry.

"What?" asked Ron, Hermione, and Sam at the same time.

"You want to know if Moody's taking Polyjuice, right? If tonight, just before seven, you take his flask, and if he's taking it, we'll find out who he really is."

"'Kay, but what happens when a madman starts shootin' spells at me?" asked Sam.

"We'll be waiting outside the room for you."

"Alright, let's do it."

* * *

That evening, at exactly six fifty-nine, Sam stopped polishing the brass object in her head and pulled out her wand, murmuring, _"Accio flask." _The flask flew into her hand, Moody not noticing a thing. Seven o'clock came, and Moody let her go. Sam stood up, sliding the flask into her pocket.

"Biluxy, wait."

"Sir?"

"Where's my flask. It was on my hip not a moment ago."

"I have no idea, sir."

"Don't lie to me, girl. _Where it it?_"

Before Sam's eyes, Moody began to change. His scars were disappearing, his skin became smooth, and his nose shrunk. His hair shortened and became straw-colored. With a _clunk_, the wooden leg fell out and was replaced with a normal one; his magical eye fell out and a real one replaced it. Sam stared at the new man, shocked. The man looked down at himself and became furious.

"You little bitch!" he screamed, pulling out his wand. He started shooting curse after curse at Sam, who ducked and dodged the best she could.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst into the room. As soon as they saw what was going on, Harry produced two Patronuses that left the room at full gallop. Hermione Disarmed the man who, at the loss of his wand, charged toward Sam and started attacking her.

Completely forgetting the fact that they were wizards, Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran forward, trying to pull the man off of Sam, who was struggling to stand up and get a punch in. The man threw a punch at Ron, who took it in the temple and was knocked out cold.

"Ron!" shouted Hermione, but she kept pulling at the man, desperately trying to get him away from Sam.

"_STUPEFY!_" came a yell from the doorway.

The man suddenly went limp and unmoving. Harry and Hermione turned to see Dumbledore and Snape standing in the doorway, Snape's wand outstretched. The fury coming off the two men was almost tangible. Gone was the usual smile on Dumbledore's face, gone was the twinkle in his eyes. Anger was radiating from him, though it was nothing compared to Snape.

Cold fury was rolling off him in waves, making the tip of his wand shake slightly. There was a murderous glint in his obsidian eyes, and Harry and Hermione were suddenly glad they'd never made him truly mad before.

Dumbledore strode forward, kicking the man so that he rolled off Sam, resting on his back.

"Barty Crouch jr.," he muttered. He then noticed a bloodied and bruised Sam, who was trying to sit up. "Are you alright, Samanthat?"

"I've been worse, believe me," Sam answered. "I dunno 'bout Ron, though."

At hearing Sam's voice, Snape rushed forward, kneeling in front of the girl, who was now sitting. He placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arm's length and studying her, taking in the various cuts and bruises. Finally, he pulled the girl to him, hugging her. After a few moments he let go, standing up and addressing Dumbledore.

"Shall I take them to Poppy, Albus?" he asked, referring to the four teenagers. Harry and Hermione had gotten a few minor cuts and bruises, and Ron would definitely have a headache when he awoke.

"If you would... Oh, wait a moment, would you mind taking Alastor as well?"

"I...What?"

"Dumbledore took a key ring from Crouch's pocket, walking to a trunk with seven locks on it. He opened the first six locks, but none of them contained anything Dumbledore was interested in. Finally, the seventh lock proved useful; there was a ten-foot drop, and at the bottom sat the real Alastor Moody. He was ridiculously thin and weak-looking, seeming to be asleep. Dumbledore raised him out of the trunk and laid him on the floor.

Snape raised both Ron and Moody with his wand and started directing them out of the room. Harry, Hermione, and Sam followed the three, heading to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

News had spread quickly about the impostor, and the next day everyone was informed that Defense classes were cancelled until a new teacher was found. They didn't have this break for very long, though. Hardly a week had passed before Dumbledore announced the new teacher.

"We have a bit of good news," he said one day at breakfast. "The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has ben filled. I trust that all returning students remember Professor Lupin?"

A great cheer erupted from the students, except from the Slytherin table, where the students remained silent. Sam, confused, looked over to Hermione.

"Who?" she asked.

"Professor Lupin, the best Defense teacher we've ever had!" Hermione exclaimed. "We had him last year; we didn't think we'd ever have him again!"

"Why not?"

"Because," said Harry, "he had to quit."

"How come?"

"He's a werewolf," explained Ron matter-of-factly. "He didn't think, after we all found out, that parents would want a werewolf teaching their kids. He quit so Dumbledore wouldn't have had to fire him."

"So what makes him think parents'd be alright with it now?"

Ron shrugged. "I dunno, maybe it's because of the Werewolf Registry."

"The what?"

The Werewolf Registry," answered Harry. "I read about it in The Daily Prophet. They register so the Ministry knows how many are out there, and employers know that they're able to take the Wolfsbane potion every full moon."

"Huh, so is he _really_ a good teacher?"

"Yes, he is!" Hermione looked blissful. "I've never learned more about Defense than when he was teaching us!"

"And he's fun, too," added Ron.

That sold it for Sam. "Well, I guess I'll give him a shot. It _sounds_ good, but you never know."

Their first class of that day was Defense with the Slytherins. As they came to the classroom, they could hear them speaking.

"I heard--,"

"Why is _he_ back? I thought--,"

"Well, he won't last long. I bet--,"

"Wait until I tell Father--,"

Sam walked up to the white-blonde boy, whose back was facing her. Smirking to herself, she thumped him on the back of his head.

"Ow! Bloody hell, what was _that_ for?" He spun around, first glaring, then looking confused.

"Don't be such a daddy's boy, Draco. You're a big boy; suck it up and deal with it."

The Gryffindors, hearing this, snickered behind their hands. Draco looked angry.

"Now see here, Sam, I'm not a--," Something seemed to have caught his eye. He stared for a moment before asking, "You're a blonde?"

Shock ran across the girl's face for only a second before she collected herself. "No. I got _black_ hair, remember?"

"You say 'black', but your roots say 'blonde'."

Sam stepped forward, poking a smirking Draco in the chest. "Get this through your thick head, Daddy's Boy," she said, her voice low and venomous. She began to poke him hard between each word. "I. am. not. a. friggin'.--"

The classroom door opened, revealing Professor Lupin, looking mildly amused at the scene in front of him. Sam, upon seeing him, backed down and walked away from a smirking Draco, back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The two boys looked pleased with Sam's actions; Hermione, however, did not.

"Sam, you could've just gotten into loads of trouble," she reprimanded the other girl.

Sam shrugged. "Aw, lighten up, Hermione, I _didn't_ get in trouble. They couldn't prove anythin' anyway. Either way, Lupin looked like he was 'bout to bust out laughin'." It was true. As they passed the teacher, he looked at the four with amusement in his eyes.

Everyone stood inside the classroom, wondering where the desks had gone. After the last student had gotten in, Lupin shut the door and addressed the class.

"Hello again, everyone," he said, picking up a scroll of parchment. "I'm sure you all remember me. I'm going to call roll before we begin. And don't worry, there's a good reason as to why there aren't any desks."

As he started calling roll, Sam looked over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, rolling her eyes. "This is the new Defense teacher?" she whispered. "There don't seem t'be anythin' special 'bout him."

"Just wait, you'll see," Ron whispered back.

"Biluxy, Samantha," called Lupin.

"Call me Sam," Sam replied automatically.

"Alright; sam it is. You're the new transfer student, I presume?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but just barely. "Yessir."

"And where are you from?"

"Rockledge, Florida, sir."

"Ah, so you're not a Yankee then, are you?"

"No, sir. I'm a South'ner through and through."

"What school did you go to?"

"Kennedy Middle, though I would've gone to Rockledge High this year if I stayed."

"I've never heard of those schools before. Are they Wizarding schools?"

"Nah, they're regular schools. My dad didn't want me to know I'm a witch, apparently. My mom had to write here to get me in."

"I see. Well, it was nice meeting you, Sam."

"You too, sir."

Lupin continued calling roll, and Sam looked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Maybe he ain't so bad after all." Roll was soon over, and class begun.

"Now, I'm sure you all remember at least some of last year's classes," Lupin began, "but you may have forgotten some. So I decided to start with a review of one of last year's creatures. In here," he motioned to a trunk, "is a boggart. We are going to get rid of it. In case some of you have forgotten, a boggart shows itself in the shape of whomever's facing its deepest fear. To get rid of it, you say the spell 'Riddikulus' and imagine it as something funny. Everyone line up now, single file."

Everyone did as he said, lining up in front of the trunk, chatting about what they'd been afraid of last time, and whether or not it'd be the same this time around.

"D'you reckon he'll let you go this time, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Why wouldn't he?" asked Sam, confused. "He's in this class, ain't he?"

"Last time, Professor Lupin didn't let Harry face the boggart," Hermione told her. "He didn't want to run the risk of having Harry's worst fear being You-Know-Who."

Sam nodded; it made sense. She wondered idly what her deepest fear was. Would it be her dad? Josh? Something else completely? She wasn't afraid of any animals; she wasn't particularly fond of bugs, but she didn't freak out around them. Would it have to do with her claustrophobia?

_"God, I hope not,"_ she thought. She couldn't handle having a claustro-moment in class; in her mind, everyone already thought she was a wimp after her asthma attack.

Sam watched with some amusement as fears were turned funny. She laughed particularly hard when a boggart version of Snape was put into an old lady's clothes. She'd definitely tell the man about _that_ later. She was confused about the animal Draco was afraid of, until Harry told her about their lesson on hippogryffs the year before and how Draco's own stupidity got him hurt. Then she laughed; very hard.

She watched, mildly nervous, as Hermione, then Ron, who were right before her, went. Hermione seemed to be afraid of clowns while Ron was petrified of spiders. Sam held back a shudder as the giant spider was put on roller skates. It was a creepy sight. Finally, it was her turn. She stood, one hand on her hip, the other holding her wand at her side, in front of the trunk, seemingly unbothered. She watched as the giant spider shrank. Sam gasped, her wand falling to the ground.

_**Chapter 7- End**_

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_Did you guys like it? I hope so. Please review with any questions/comments you may have. It really means a lot to me. Also, Chapter 8 (Memories and Fears) should be up within a week (I hope). Thanks for reading! Hope to see you next time!_

**~artyluvr**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey again!**

**I know, I've been updating a lot lately. That's my miserable attempt at making up for not updating for so long. I hope it helps! But anyway, this chapter is a little longer than the others, but I really didn't want to cut it into two chapters. So, yeah, enjoy!**

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_**Chapter 8- Memories and Fears**_

Sam took a step back, horrified. She heard gasps from the other students as they looked upon the girl's deepest fear. The room was deathly quiet.

The bodies of five boys lay on the ground, their eyes wide open, glassy and unseeing. They all had bullet wounds in their chests; it was obvious that they'd been shot to death. A pocketknife lay next to one, as though he'd been holding it. Three people, besides Sam, knew who the boys were. They were her five friends; Ricky, Bobby, Alan, Zack, and Josh.

"No!" Sam shouted, years escaping her eyes. She sank to the ground, covering her face with her hands, trying to remain silent while sobbing.

Lupin had had enough. He stepped in front of the girl, forcing the boggart to become a bright silvery-white orb; the moon. "Ridikkulus," he ground out, and the moon turned into a balloon before disappearing completely. Calmly, he returned his wand to his pocket, saying, "Class dismissed."

The students took that as their cue to leave. They did so quietly until four students remained, undecided on whether or not they should leave. Lupin smiled at the four, although he was privately confused as to why Draco Malfoy wasn't distancing himself from the Golden Trio.

"Don't worry, you'll get your friend back soon enough," he said.

The four nodded and retreated into the hallway. Once the door was shut, Lupin looked sadly at the girl still sobbing on the floor. He sat next to her, patting her on the back. He was mildly confused as to why she tensed under his touch, but put it down to nerves.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Sam shook her head, still keeping it down and her face hidden.

"Shall I go and get Professor Snape, then?"

Sam's head shot up to look at him, eyes red and puffy and face tearstained.

"How, d'you know 'bout that?" she asked. "I only told Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

Lupin struggled to hold back a chuckle at the incredulous look on her face. "You'll find that I'm more well-informed than most other teachers. I'll take that as a 'no', then?"

Sam shook her head, staring at a spot on the floor in front of her. "Nah, I don't wanna bother him. It's not a big deal, anyway."

"You're not a bother, Sam," came a soft, silky baritone from the door.

Sam would recognize that voice anywhere. She looked up, and sure enough, Snape was making his way toward her.

"Mr. Snape!" exclaimed Sam, standing up. The man pulled her into a hug, and suddenly she felt that everything was all right.

"Are you alright?" Snape finally asked, holding the girl at arm's length. "I heard that you reacted badly to your boggart. What was it?"

Sam teared up again, stepping forward and leaning into her guardian, resting her head against his chest.

"It was the boys," she mumbled.

Snape was confused. "Say again? I didn't catch that."

"It was the boys," she said louder. "Ricky, Bobby, Alan, Zack, and Josh. They were all dead; shot full of bullets."

Snape gently stroked the now-crying girl's hair, idly noticing that her roots were blonde. "Sh, it's alright; it was only a boggart. Your friends are just fine."

"I know. Thanks."

***

As the days passed by, Sam noticed that she was thinking less and less about Josh and more and more about Draco. She realized that she was ready to let someone in her heart. She and Draco were doing homework in the library when it hit her.

"Hey, Draco," she said in a tone that made Draco look up.

"Yeah, Sam?"

The girl seemed hesitant. "Well, remember how you told me that you'd be here whenever I was ready?" Draco nodded, and Sam looked into his eyes. "I'm ready."

Draco gasped. "Really? You're sure?" Sam nodded. "Hold on a moment, I'll be right back." With that, he left at a near-run. Not five minutes later he was back, holding something behind his back.

"Close your eyes."

Sam did so, but not without asking, "What's this 'bout?"

She could hear the smirk in his voice. "You'll find out. Now hold out your right hand."

The girl did so, and she felt his hand on hers, turning it so it was facing palm-down.

"Sam Biluxy," he said, sounding nervous, "I fancy you. Will you go out with me?"

"Yes," Sam replied immediately, feeling her breath catch in her throat.

"Then this is so that everyone knows that you are under the protection of the Malfoys." She felt something being slipped onto her ring finger. "You can look now."

Sam opened her eyes and gasped. On her finger was a beautiful ring. The band was silver and was carved to look like a snake. In between the snake's head and tail was an emerald set into two smaller snakes carved to look like they were chasing each other's tails. On the emerald itself was carved a crest, which Sam took to be the Malfoy family crest. she looked up at Draco, who looked nervous.

"So," he asked, "d'you like it? It's sort of a family tradition; you give it to your girlfriend, and then, if the day comes, it gets replaced with an engagement ring."

"It's amazing, Draco."

Draco smiled before wrapping Sam in a hug. As Sam rested her head against his shoulders, breathing in the vaguely musky peppermint scent he possessed, she couldn't help but think that everything was finally going her way. A thought hit her as they broke apart.

"Draco, I don't think we should advertise this."

The boy looked confused. "Why not?"

Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Think 'bout it. How many people will like a Gryffindor-Slytherin relationship? I'm not sayin' we should deny it, but we shouldn't just throw it out there, either. D'you get what I'm sayin'?"

The boy seemed lost in thought. "Yeah... I get it. Good idea, Sam." He glanced at the clock. "Come on, we're about to be late fro dinner."

Once Sam had seated herself at the Gryffindor table, across from Ron and next to Hermione, she could feel people staring at her. She looked up and saw that almost every Gryffindor face was turned toward her. She took a sip of her pumpkin juice, which she'd quickly found out she liked, and turned to Hermione.

"The hell's everyone starin' at me for?" she asked.

"It's probably because you walked in with Malfoy," Harry answered.

"That again. Ain't a crime to be friends with him, is it? It don't make no difference what House you're in t'me."

No one answered. All three of Sam's friends had seen the ring on her finger, and knew something was up. They silently agreed to confront the girl after dinner.

Sam finished eating dinner quickly and stood up to leave. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up a moment later, following their friend through the corridors. They stopped her just as she was about to climb the final staircase to the portrait hole.

"Hey, Sam, hold on a minute," Harry called.

Sam turned around. "Oh, hey guys, what's up?"

"We need to ask you something," said Hermione.

"'Kay, shoot."

"What the bloody hell is _that_?" Ron demanded, keeping his voice lowered.

"What's what?"

"He's talking about the ring. What's it for?" Harry asked.

"What, can't someone wear a ring 'round here without everyone askin' them 'bout it?"

"Sam, it's not the fact that you're wearing a ring," Hermione said, "It's the fact that it's silver and green that bothers us. Where did it come from?"

"Draco," Sam said simply. Her three friends stared. "What?"

"_Malfoy _gave you that ring?" Harry asked quietly. Ron looked like he'd sucked on a lemon.

"Yeah."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I think the best thing to ask here is _why_ he gave it to her."

Ron seemed to be coming out of a trance. "Yeah, why the bloody hell did he give you a ring?" A thought hit him. "Oh, no...you don't mean...he didn't...you didn't..."

Sam realized what he was thinking of and gasped. "No! This ain't an engagement ring! Holy shit, Ron, how could you think that?"

"Well, what's it for, then?"

"He asked me out, and he gave it t'me 'cause I said yes."

This bit of information was like a slap in the golden Trio's face. They stared, and Sam felt anger bubbling up inside her. What was their problem? Everyone seemed to think she was out of her mind for associating with him. Sure, she'd seen the boy tease other students mercilessly, but she could respect things like that. Hell, she'd done worse back in Rockledge, but no one here would know about that.

Leaving her friends, she turned and entered the Gryffindor Common Room. She got her books out and started her homework, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to her. Finally, around eleven o'clock, she packed up her school things and went up to bed. She was about to go to sleep when her phone vibrated. She picked it up and opened it, reading the message.

_"Sam. jst got outta da hospital. Ricky."_

Sam smiled, a few tears of joy escaping her eyes. So Ricky was alright, no thanks to Josh.

_"Ricky. thts awsum. ill tty in da mornin. Sam."_

She replaced her phone under her pillow and laid down. Moments later, her pillow vibrated. She picked it up and opened it, reading the message.

_"Sam. kay. btw i heard bout u & josh. u kay? nite. Ricky."_

Sam sighed. Of course he'd heard about it. It was sure to have happened sooner or later.

_"Ricky. ya im ok i dnt wanna tlk bout it now btw i got a new bf dnt tll da othrs nite. Sam."_

She shut her phone and rolled over, falling asleep instantly.

***

The next day, which was a Monday, Dumbledore had an announcement to make at breakfast.

"Attention, everyone," he said. The breakfast time chatter instantly died down. "The staff and I have decided to try and start a new tradition, starting this Friday. It will be an annual Parents' Day, of sorts. On this day, there will not be any classes; students will be permitted to wander the grounds and spend time with their parents. Invitations have already been owled out. That is all."

Conversation broke out as he sat down. everyone was wondering who came up with the idea, and who's parents would come.

"D'y'all think your parents'll come?" Sam asked.

"I know mine will," replied Ron, "since Fred, George, and Ginny are here as well. Reckon they wouldn't otherwise."

"I know mine won't," remarked Harry, grinning.

Sam laughed, knowing he was making a joke. "That'd be so cool if they did, though. What 'bout you, Hermione?"

"I'm not sure," the other girl said uncertainly. "Mine are Muggles; I don't think they'd be able to come."

"Oh, I'm sorry. My mom's a Muggle, too. I just hop t'God my dad don't show. That would suck beyond belief."

"Dumbledore wouldn't let him come," Hermione stated confidently.

"Yeah, but that would still massively suck."

"I don't think that came out the way you wanted it to."

Sam turned around in her seat. "Oh, hey Draco. Good one." She laughed. "I didn't know anyone here had a sick mind like me. I was startin' t'miss it."

Draco smirked. "Glad I could amuse you with my perverted ways. By the way, may I escort you to your first class?"

Sam grinned, standing up. "You may." She waved to her friends. "Se y'all in a little bit."

Fully aware that they were being watched by every students and most of the teachers in the Great Hall, the two left. Sam had forgotten her phone under her pillow, so they went there first. After saying the password and checking to make sure no one was in the Common Room, she allowed Draco to come in and wait for her. She came back to find the boy staring at the room.

"What're you starin' at?" she asked.

"Nothing, it's just so... warm feeling in here."

"...Oh, 'kay. Ready?"

"Yeah."

They left Gryffindor Tower and made their way to Sam's first class, charms with the Ravenclaws. Just before they turned the final corner to the class, they stopped and hugged.

"Well...see you at Potions," Draco said uncomfortably.

"Partners?" Sam asked.

"Of course."

"Then I'll see you next class." Sam kissed his cheek and walked away, waving. "'Bye."

***

Potions came soon, and luckily for the couple, it was a double class. They sat in the back of the room so that anyone who wanted to stare would have to turn completely around in their seat to do so. Draco was the one who started the silents laughing and joking fits. Snape had just finished berating a trembling Neville for adding an obviously wrong ingredient to his already messed up potion. He'd just turned around and was walking back to his desk when Draco said it.

"Does he ever look like an overgrown bat to you?"

Sam took one look at the man and had to stifle a laugh, but only succeeding in covering half of it. Snape heard it and turned around, walking toward the two.

"Would you mind sharing the joke with the rest of the class?" he asked, staring his two students down.

Sam, who was still shaking with silent laughter, couldn't respond, so Draco did for her.

"It's nothing, sir."

Snape looked at the still-laughing Sam and decided that he needed to have a talk with the two.

"Nevertheless, I will see the both of you after class."

Draco nodded, and the man left. The boy glanced sideways at Sam, who was grinning at him. Thus started the joke-off. Every few minutes, one would poke the other or tickle the other or make a joke, sending themselves into silent fits of laughter. Once they'd calmed down, one would say or do something and then they'd be off again. They continued in this manner until class ended. Once it did, the two packed up and went to Snape's desk, waiting to see what the man had to say. They didn't have to wait very long.

"Would you two like to tell me what went on today?"

The couple stared at him, not saying anything.

"Well?"

Still they didn't speak. It was almost as if the man hadn't spoken at all.

"Five points from the both of you. Now, would you care telling me?"

"Tell you what?" Sam asked.

"Why you two were behaving the way you were today."

"We're friends," said Draco. "We were just having some fun."

Snape looked from Draco to Sam and back again a few times, as if trying to figure something out.

"Very well," he said finally. "Draco, you may leave. Sam, I would like to speak with you a while longer."

Draco glanced sideways uncertainly at Sam, but she shook her head slightly. With a quick, "See you later," he was gone, and it was just Snape and Sam.

"Would you mind telling me the truth, Sam?"

"What?" Sam asked, startled. "That _was_ the truth." She made sure to keep her hands behind her back.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it." Snape knew the girl was lying. "By the way, your hair looks blonde."

"What?" She clasped her hands to the top of her head. "Can you fix it?"

"Of course." Snape muttered a spell and Sam's hair returned to black, the ring on her finger not going unnoticed.

"Thanks. I need to get goin'. McGonagall won't be happy if I miss half her class."

"I understand. See you later, Sam."

"'Bye, Mr. Snape."

***

The rest of the week passed quickly. Classes were boring, homework was tedious, and Sam and Draco reached their first milestone:their first make-out session.

They were studying in "their spot" when Draco leaned over and kissed Sam. She reacted positively, and they remained that way for quite awhile, parting red-lipped and late for dinner.

Friday rolled around, and parents were arriving for 'Parents' Day'. Sam decided she'd let her friends hang out with their parents until about noon, when she'd join them. She passed the time by texting her friends, and was surprised when the Patil twins came into the Common Room.

"Oh, Sam, there you are!" they exclaimed.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Sam looked at them, confused. They'd spoken of nothing but their parents, so why weren't they with them?

"We've been looking for you."

"Your father's here, he's looking for you."

Sam was taken aback. Had Mr. Snape told them about being her guardian? "Where is he?"

"He's in the Great Hall."

"Thanks."

Sam stood up and left the Common Room, heading towards the Great Hall. She gasped as she entered the room at what, or rather who, she saw. Her _real_ father, David, was speaking to a man that looked remarkably like Draco. She made to leave, but she'd already been seen. Her father gestured for her to go to him. She did so reluctantly, worry and fear overtaking her mind.

"Hello, Samantha," David greeted.

"Hi, Dad," Sam replied unenthusiastically.

"You don't sound happy to see me."

Sam's eyes widened. "I _am_ happy to see you; I'm just shocked you're here 'cause you're usually so busy."

"Yes, well I found an opening in my schedule. By the way, I'd like you to meet one of my colleagues, Lucius Malfoy."

"Hello, Samantha," the man said, looking down his nose at her haughtily.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy, sir." Sam inwardly smiled. She still knew to kiss ass when she was supposed to.

"I'm sure you've heard of my son, Draco." The man looked for his son, spotting him and calling him over. "David, I would like you and your daughter to meet my son, Draco Malfoy."

"Hello, young man," David greeted, shaking Draco's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Sam waved her right hand, showing that she wasn't wearing her ring, and therefore that they weren't letting the adults know that they were more than acquaintances. Draco nodded slightly, showing that he understood.

The two men spoke for awhile, each pointing out their child's positive points, David making it obvious that he didn't think much of Sam. They then moved on to politics and news. Finally, David excused Sam and himself, saying; "I'm sorry, Lucius, but I would like to speak with my daughter alone for awhile.:

Sam's heart sank when Malfoy Sr. replied, "Ah, yes, I understand. I'll speak with you soon. Good-bye, Samantha."

"'Bye," Sam responded, fear gnawing at her brain.

David lead her out of the Great Hall and headed off in an unknown direction. as far as Sam knew, there were no classes near there. This revelation brought a new sense of fear to the front of her mind. finally, they stopped in front of an unused classroom. David opened the door.

"In," he growled, all traces of friendliness gone.

sam stepped in, her father going in after her, shutting and locking the door. He pulled out a wand from his sleeve, casting powerful _Muffliato _spells on the walls, ceiling, and floor so that there was no chance of being overheard whatsoever. When he was done, he replaced his wand in his sleeve, turning and walking to Sam.

"You little bitch!" he shouted, slapping her hard across the face and sending her to the floor. He roughly picked the girl up and slammed her against the wall, shaking her so her head hit it over and over again.

"You thought you could run away? _Did you?_"

"No, I...thought it'd be...cool t'come here."

"You thought it'd be _'cool'? _I'll show you what's _'cool'_!"

He threw the girl to the ground and pulled out his wand, pointing it down at her.

"_Crucio_," he spat venomously.

Sam screamed and writhed on the ground as the first wave of unimaginable pain hit her. It wasn't to be the last.

***

_Knock knock_

Snape sighed. He'd come so close to having a completely peaceful weekend. He put his book down and opened the door to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing behind it.

"Yes?"

"Professor," Hermione asked, "have you seen Sam?"

"Sam?" The Potions Master thought for a moment. "No, not since Thursday during class. Why?"

"That's what we were afraid of," murmured Ron.

"We haven't seen her since Friday morning," clarified Harry.

"We thought she'd been with you all weekend," Hermione added, frantically now.

Snape felt panic brush against his mind, but quickly shook it away. It wasn't time to panic; not yet, anyway.

"Listen up, you three, here's what we're going to do. We are _not_ going to panic. We're going to find the last person who saw her, and we'll go from there."

They left Snape's quarters and went throughout the castle, asking anyone they saw about Sam. They didn't come across many people, as it was Sunday, and most students were in their Common Rooms studying. They asked for hours, to no avail. Finally they spotted Draco.

"Draco," Snape called when they spotted him. The boy walked toward them.

"Yes, Professor?"

"When was the last time you saw Sam?"

The boy thought for a moment. "Friday morning."

"Where was she? Who was she with?"

"The Great Hall. She was with me, my father, and another man. I think Father said the man was her father."

The color drained from Snape and the three teens' faces. Draco, noticing this, became worried.

"What?" he asked.

Snape took action. "Listen, all of you. Wherever Sam is, she's in trouble. I'm going to Dumbledore to raise the alert. When I do, all of the staff will be searching, as well as any students who want to join in.

"You four are going to start searching the castle for her. She won't be near the used classrooms, so look in the unused ones. As soon as you find her, get the closest teacher. Understand?"

The four teens nodded.

"Good. Now go."

They did so, splitting into pairs; Harry and Draco, Hermione and Ron.

"What's the big deal? Her dad came on _Parents' Day._ Big whoop."

Harry hardly glanced at the other boy. "Her dad has a history of hitting her every time he sees her. He's always on business trips, so they don't see each other much. We're also worried because as far as her parents know, she just disappeared one day. We didn't ask them if she could come here before we left with her, because her dad had come home the day before. So he's probably extra-mad. Also, you're the last person who saw her, and that was on Friday, so who knows how badly she's hurt?"

"...Oh."

They continued on for awhile, checking every room they passed. Soon they came to a fork.

"Why don't you take the left? I'll take the right," suggested Draco. "We'll cover more ground that way."

Harry thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

So the two parted ways. Draco kept checking every room he passed. Time went by slowly, though the boy's mind was racing with worry for his girlfriend. Suddenly he stopped. Did something catch his eye in that room a few doors down? He couldn't be sure.

_"It could be Sam," _he thought.

With that thought in mind, he went back and opened the door.

"No," he whispered, gasping.

Sam lay unconscious on the floor, covered in her own blood, her dark hair covering her face. Draco ran to her and found that she was covered in bruises as well, making her normally pale white skin look dark. There were some distinctly hand-shaped bruises on her face and neck. An arm and a leg were bent at funny angles; ones they couldn't and shouldn't be able to achieve naturally.

Draco felt his heart stop. It didn't look like the girl was breathing. He quickly brushed her hair away from her face and held a hand in front of her mouth, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt her softly exhale.

Gently, he laid Sam on the floor and darted out of the room, sprinting down the halls and bellowing:

"I've found her! Help! I've found her!"

He turned a corner and nearly bowled Snape over.

"You've found her?" the man asked.

"Yes, and she doesn't look good at all."

"Where is she?"

Quickly, Draco took him to the room where Sam lay unconscious. When Snape saw her, he ran over and took her in his arms, cradling her.

"It's okay; I'm here now," he whispered over and over again, like a mantra. after a minute or two, he stood up, still carrying the girl.

"Come, let's get her to the Hospital Wing."

Draco followed the man, wondering what Sam had ever done to deserve what she got.

***

"...bad is it?" a silky baritone voice asked.

"Rather bad. Broken arm, broken leg, broken and cracked ribs, bruises everywhere, possible concussion; the list goes on. That's not even taking into account the emotional damage done," replied a higher, woman's voice.

"What about the dislocated shoulder?"

"We have to wait until she wakes up for that."

"I understand. I had hoped..."

"I know. You don't want to cause her pain. But that's how it's got to be done."

_"What?"_ The thought came like a soap bubble. There one moment, gone the next, slipping through her fingers. She raised her heavy eyelids, looking around.

_"Where the hell am I?" _She spotted a boy with a shock of white-blonde hair and ashen eyes, who grinned and gently took her hand.

"Sleep," he whispered softly.

She felt her eyelids shut, and she drifted back to sleep, the image of the grinning boy like an echo in her mind.

***

Sam was, much later, dragged into consciousness by a massive headache. She groaned and squinted her eyes, turning her head away from the flickering light. She heard someone stand up and walk away, calling someone else.

"Poppy, I think she's waking up."

_"What the hell?"_

Slowly, she opened her eyes, which struggled to focus. The first thing she noticed when they did was that she was in an old-fashioned, spacious room. The second thing she noticed was a man standing over her, looking immensely relieved.

"Sam, thank Merlin you're alright," he said in a silky baritone with a British accent.

Who was he? Sam couldn't remember.

"Who?" she asked. She meant to ask, "Who are you?", but it didn't work, as her voice was scratchy and unused.

"Don't you remember?" he asked softly, brushing her bangs away from her face. "I'm Mr. Snape, remember?"

When she heard the words "Mr. Snape" reached her ears, everything came back about the Magical World. Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, Draco, the War; everything.

"Mr. Snape!" Sam exclaimed, now relieved that the man was with her when she woke up.

Seeing the recognition alight in the girl's eyes, Snape couldn't help smiling.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Alright," she replied, shifting positions. "I--," She gasped, fiery pain ripping through her left shoulder. She grabbed it with her other hand, fighting back the tears that threatened to overflow.

"Sam?" Snape asked, alarmed. "Sam, what's wrong?"

"Shoulder," the girl ground out. "Hurts--like hell."

"Poppy!" the man called, standing up. "Poppy, come quickly!"

The woman bustled over. "What's happened?" she asked.

"It's her shoulder, it's hurting her. We need to fix it _now_."

Sam looked up, her vision blurring from the pain.

"I...think I'm...gonna pass out." she forced.

Snape's obsidian eyes widened. "No, Sam, you can't faint. Concentrate on staying awake. You can't faint."

"Right," said Mme. Pomfrey, rolling up her sleeves, "first we've got to get her hand away from her shoulder."

She tried to pry the girl's hand away from her shoulder, but couldn't do it. Sam had a death grip on it. Snape reached over and forced her hand away, holding it so that she wouldn't get a grip on her shoulder again. Pomfrey took her arm and rotated it to find exactly where it went, making Sam gasp.

"This is going to hurt," the medi-witch warned.

"Can't we give her a potion?" Snape asked.

"You know as well as I do that even the weakest pain-relieving potion will react badly with the others."

"Very well, continue."

Pomfrey looked back down at Sam, making sure once more that her shoulder was properly aligned. Holding the girl's arm with one hand and placing her other hand on her shoulder, Pomfrey pushed as hard as she could, feeling the bone pop back into the joint, which made Sam cry out.

"There," stated Pomfrey, "it's back in. Miss Biluxy, I need you to rotate your shoulder for me so I can make sure I got it right."

The girl did so, grimacing. A few tears overflowed from her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, embarrassed.

"So, what happened t'me?" she asked.

"You don't remember?" asked Snape, incredulous.

Sam shook her head.

"What _do_ you remember?"

"I remember Dumbledore announcin' Parents' Day on Monday, I remember bits and pieces of classes, Wednesday..."

"What happened on Wednesday?"

"Nothin' important. And then all I can remember of Friday was textin' the boys in the Common Room."

"Nothing else? That's it?"

"Besides wakin' up here, yeah."

Snape thought for a moment before he got an idea. "Sam, could I see?"

"How?" The girl was confused.

"There are two branches of magic that are the opposite of each other, yet related. Legillimency is the ability to break into another person's mind and look through their thoughts and memories. Occlumency, however, is the ability to--,"

"Keep someone from breakin' into your mind, right?"

"Yes. Using Legillimency, I could--,"

Sam watched as the man jumped, as though electrically shocked. He slapped his hand against his left forearm, like he'd been burned.

"Sam," he said quickly, "I have to go somewhere now, alright? I'll be back soon. Promise me you'll try and get some sleep."

"'Kay, but where--,"

"I can't tell you." The man leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later."

With that, Snapeleft the Hospital Wing at a power-walk. Sam watched him go, feeling very confused. Where was he going? Would he be okay? These and other questions ran through her head. A few minutes after Snape left, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came in, looking relieved that she was awake.

"Sam, thank goodness you're awake!" cried Hermione.

"We were really worried," Harry added.

"Yeah, you had us all scared in the beginning," stated Ron.

It was then that Hermione noticed that something was on Sam's mind.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Mr. Snape," Sam replied.

"What about him?" asked Ron.

"Well, we were talkin', and all of a sudden he jumped and grabbed him arm like he'd been burnt. He stood up, made me promise to get some sleep, and then practically ran out. Before he left, I asked him where he was goin', and he said he couldn't tell me."

The three friends shared a look that made Sam ask, "D'you know where he went?"

"Um, well, you see--," started Hermione, but Harry cut her off.

"He's a Death Eater, or at least he used to be."

Sam was shocked. "But aren't they Voldemort's followers?"

Harry nodded.

"But what does that have t'do with him leavin' like that?"

"When a Death Eater gets initiated, they're given the Dark Mark, which is a tattoo on their forearm that allows Voldemort to call them to him through it burning."

"So you're tellin' me he's a Death Eater?"

Hermione jumped in. "Dumbledore's told us many times that he's on our side, though, so maybe he's a spy."

"Yeah, maybe--,"

"Sam!"

Everyone looked at the doorway, where they found Draco standing. He walked over to her bed, leaning down and gently kissing her on the lips, much to the horror of Sam's three friends, who were watching.

"You're awake," stated Draco. Sam grinned.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"How're you feeling?"

"Fine since Madame Pomfrey fixed my dislocated shoulder. That, by the way, hurt like hell."

"I have no doubt. Oh, Professor Snape found this in your pocket. I think he thought you took it off me."

He held out his hand, and in it lay the beautiful green-and-silver ring he'd given to her. He look her right hand in his, slipping the piece of jewelry onto her ring finger. "Thanks," said Sam.

"Also, there's something you might want to know."

"What?"

"I let it slip in the Common Room about us the other day."

"Great."

"It's probably all over the castle by now."

"Joy. Life certainly won't be borin' _now_."

Draco smirked. "Well, look on the bright side. We won't have to find an empty classroom when we want to have a snog."

Sam laughed, glancing at her friends, who wore expressions of shock.

"I think we should stop talkin' like that, Draco. Ron doesn't look very well."

Draco looked up, smirking at the expression on the other boy's face. "What's the matter, Weasley? Are we tainting your innocent mind? Go on, tell us what's wrong."

Ron, who looked a bit green, swallowed before answering.

"I just can't get over the thought of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin snogging each other."

"Oh, you mean like this?"

Draco reached down and kissed Sam firmly on the lips; one hand behind her back, pulling her to him and the other hand on the bed, keeping him from falling over. Sam, caught by surprise, gasped before kissing him back. She threw her good arm around his neck, kissing him fiercely. Thus a competition of sorts began. Each tried to kiss the other more fiercely and passionately than the other could.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched, shocked that Sam, their friend Sam, was snogging Draco Malfoy, whom they'd despised since their First Year. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Mme. Pomfrey walk out of her office, gasping when she saw the couple.

"Enough! Mr. Malfoy, disentangle yourself from Ms. Biluxy at once!"

Sam and Draco, startled, broke apart, gasping for air.

"Mr. Malfoy, I'll not have you treat my patient in such a manner!" Pomfrey continued, walking over to the five teenagers. "Ms. Biluxy is still recovering, and none of you are to unnecessarily excite her, do you understand?"

"But she looks fine, what's wrong with her?" asked Hermione.

"Her nervous system is still recovering from the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse. Now get out, all of you. You can come back tomorrow, but for now, she needs her rest."

"'Bye, Sam," said the Golden Trio as they left.

"'Bye, guys."

Draco leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Sweet dreams, Sam."

"See you later, Draco."

Once they'd gone, Mme. Pomfrey handed Sam a glass.

"Here, drink this; it's a Dreamless Sleep potion."

Sam drank it quickly, knowing it would taste vile. As soon as she finished, she felt it begin to work. She felt her muscles relax and her eyelids grow heavy. She was asleep in less than a minute.

***

When Sam awoke, it was still dark. She was about to roll over when she heard voices from behind her.

"What happened?" asked the voice of Mme. Pomfrey.

"I arrived late," answered the silky baritone of Snape.

Sam felt a pang of excitement when she heard her guardian's voice, only to be replaced with worry when she realized he was hurt. She listened harder.

"How late were you? You left right away."

"Maybe so, but the Dark Lord was in a particularly foul mood, and I arrived a few moments behind the others. Thank Merlin I'm such a good Occlumens. He would've found out about Sam otherwise."

"You couldn't have passed it off as following Dumbledore's orders?"

"He'd be able to see right through that."

"Well, you need to be careful here as well. I saw Draco Malfoy in here earlier. You'd best not give him anything to report to his father."

"I won't. Thank you for helping me, by the way."

Sam heard footsteps approaching, and shut her eyes, rolling onto her back. She felt someone brush her hair away from her face and take her hand.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" she heard Snape ask. "I have absolutely no idea how to raise a child, much less a teenager. Albus would be better at it than I would."

"But she picked you," Mme. Pomfrey pointed out. "That has to count for something. I doubt she would've signed those guardianship papers if Albus had wanted her."

"That's true...You'll help me, won't you?"

"Just ask, and I'll do what I can."

"Thank you. Now, I should have been in bed a long time ago.

Sam felt Snape bend down and kiss her forehead. As he let go of her hand and turned to leave, she reached out and grabbed the back of his traveling cloak. She heard him chuckle as he gently removed her hand and placed it next to her.

"I'll be back in the morning," he whispered. "Sweet dreams."

And with that, he left, Sam falling asleep moments later.

***

When Sam next awoke, daylight was shining through the windows. She sat up and yawned, looking around.

"Good morning," greeted Snape, who was sitting next to her, reading the Daily Prophet.

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Hey, you know that thing you were talkin' 'bout yesterday? Could we try it?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Snape folded up his paper, turning his chair to face her. "Alright. All you have to do is look me in the eyes and think back to when the headmaster announced Parents' Day."

Sam did so, and soon she felt another presence in her mind, looking through her memories. He looked through Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, stopping and looking in detail through her memory of first kissing Draco. He then looked through Thursday, and slowed down on Friday, soon coming to what could only be explained as a mental wall. He pushed against it, supplying his own memories of going to the room she'd been found in and of the room itself.

Suddenly, the mental wall buckled and broke, flooding Sam's mind with memories, horrible ones of being beaten and yelled at. Snape watched in horror as David choked, slapped, kicked, and threw, Sam around the room, yelling obscenities at her, such as, "You ungrateful bitch! You deserve everything you're getting! You're going to wish you'd never heard of Hogwarts when I'm through with you!"

Snape pulled out of the girl's mind, unable to watch anymore. When he came back to himself, he found Sam rolled up in a little ball, sobbing. He reached out and hugged her, letting her cry on his shoulder. One thought ran through his mind as he held the broken girl in his arms.

_"David Biluxy is going to wish he'd never laid a hand on Sam."_

_**Chapter 8-End**_

_**

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**There it is! I hoped you enjoyed it! Please review! Thanks, see you next time!**

**~artyluvr**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again!**

**This chapter is twice as long as chapter 8, so I hope you think it worth the wait! I'm not going to bore you with a lot of talking, so I'm just going to cut straight to the chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 9- Betrayed**_

Halloween came quickly, and Sam was released from the Hospital Wing just in time for it. Since Halloween fell on a Saturday that year, students were free to do as they pleased before the feast. Sam and Draco decided to spend the day together, as they'd never been able to do so before.

Hand in hand, the couple wandered around the castle aimlessly, simply talking. Of course, people, especially Slytherin girls, stopped them and tried to break them apart, though they were ignored. Finally, they got tired of being stopped every few minutes, so Draco decided that they should leave the castle.

"Oh my God, it's cold," Sam remarked as soon as they stepped outside.

"D'you think so?" asked Draco, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Not anymore."

They walked around the grounds for a while, eventually sitting under a tree overlooking the lake. Sam looked up at the leaves; she'd never seen them any color but green and brown. The brilliant red and gold shades fascinated her. Draco followed her line of sight.

"Ugh, fall," he said disgustedly.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, except for the fact that it's pretty much a season for Gryffindor. No other House has something like that. It just seems unfair."

"Well, don't worry, 'cause between you and me, I think green and silver is _way_ better-lookin' than red and gold."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Draco leaned down, catching her lips in his. Sam gasped, surprised, before returning the kiss whole-heartedly. She felt him smirk into the kiss, and she nipped him in the lips with her teeth for it. This caused the boy to growl lowly in the back of his throat, pulling the girl closer to him and kissing her more fiercely, making her moan involuntarily.

Draco nipped at Sam's lips, hesitantly at first, but more and more confidently as the moments passed. Sam ignored him, kissing him all the more fiercely. Draco licked his lips, licked her lips, nipping at them in between, just begging for her to open her mouth, even just a little, so that he could explore the inside of it. But her lips stayed stubbornly shut. Then, suddenly, she pulled away.

Draco opened his eyes to see Sam watching him, her lips red, cheeks flushed with excitement, a film of lust just disappearing from her emerald eyes.

"What was that for?" he asked once his breathing went back to normal.

"What?" asked Sam, confused.

"You not letting me kiss you properly."

The girl laughed. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that. Why didn't you let me?"

She laughed once more, thinking that he seemed like a little kid who'd been denied his candy. She kissed him on the cheek before laying on her back. "It's just too much fun to give you hell."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

Draco moved, straddling her waist. "How about I give you a dose of your own medicine, then?"

"Huh?"

Suddenly he was tickling her sides. Sam shrieked and tried to move away, but he kept her pinned down.

"Draco, stop!" she shouted between breaths.

The boy grinned, not letting up. "But it's so much fun to give you hell," he replied.

Tears of laughter streamed from the girl's eyes.

"C'mon, Draco, I can't breathe!" she pleaded.

He stopped suddenly, leaning forward. "And what have you learned?"

"Don't give Draco hell, he gives it right back."

"Good." He rolled off her.

Once the boy was off her, Sam rolled onto her side, facing away from Draco. she felt his arms circle her waist and his hot breath on the back of her neck, and she had a hard time suppressing a shiver. She did, however, yawn hugely.

"Tired?" Draco murmured, his lips brushing against her neck.

"Just a bit. Hermione made me stay up past one last night."

"Whatever for?"

"So I could catch up with what I missed those two weeks." She made a face.

Draco, although he couldn't see her face, could guess that she was sticking her tongue out or something along those lines. He held her tighter.

"Why don't you take a nap, then? You'll get your sleep back that way."

"Alright," Sam replied, yawning once more. She snuggled closer to her boyfriend, falling asleep quickly, Draco following suit not long after.

***

Sam was in the middle of dreaming of hanging out with Draco, walking around Rockledge and introducing him to the guys. They'd all go steal some beer, and Sam would get to see what kind of a drunk Draco was, something she was dying to see. In her dream, they'd just gone and taken the rest of Sam's belongings from her house and told her parents that they could go screw themselves, because she was never going back. All of a sudden, Sam was awoken from her dream by a bucket full of freezing cold water being emptied on her. She shot up, gasping, only to find that she was completely dry. She looked up to see Professor Flitwick standing over her and Draco, wand in hand.

"Professor," Draco exclaimed, surprised. "What're you doing here?"

"Trying to find you two," the tiny professor replied. "We've been looking for you for ages."

It was then that the couple realized it was dark out.

"What time is it?" asked Sam.

"Just past midnight. Come, Professor Snape will be relieved to find that you're alright."

_"Oh, crap," _thought Sam, _"Mr. Snape is _not_ gonna be happy."_

The two followed the minute professor into the castle, through the main doors and into the Entrance Hall. It didn't take long to find Snape. He was moving from person to person, simultaneously asking questions and explaining things. He looked tense and worried. Professor Flitwick walked over to the man, telling him that the two had been found.

"What? Where?"

The shorter man explained everything to him, Snape nodding the whole time. Finally, when the story was over, he walked toward the two teenagers.

Once he got to the couple, he hugged Sam and patted Draco on the back. He didn't look angry, but both of the teenagers could see in his eyes that he was.

"Come," the man said, and he led them to the dungeons. After a short time, they came to the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories.

"Stay here," Snape told Sam, and he led Draco into the Common Room.

Sam leaned against the wall, dreading Snape's reaction to where she and Draco had been. Seconds and minutes passed agonizingly slowly, and every moment brought a bit more tension. By the time the man returned, Sam was a bundle of nerves. Snape led the girl to his private quarters, neither of them saying a word. Once they'd entered the man's quarters, he spoke.

"Sit."

Sam did so, watching as her guardian paced back and forth, making her more nervous with every pass. She looked down, wringing her hands in her lap, shoulders threatening to come up. It took all her willpower and concentration to keep her knees from bouncing at an impossibly fast rate. Finally, Snape spoke.

"Would you care to tell me what on Earth the two of you were thinking?" he asked, anger evident in his voice.

Sam didn't reply, hoping against hope that this new, scary Snape would disappear and be replaced with the other, caring one she knew.

"Alright, then, so you weren't thinking. When were you planning on telling me that the two of you were together?"

Again, Sam didn't respond. She seemed to find her hands very interesting, as she kept staring at them. It was nearly impossible for her to keep from losing control of herself, and she didn't trust herself to speak.

"Well? Are you going to answer me?"

Sam still didn't respond. Snape lifted her right hand so that her ring was at her eye level.

"How long did you think you could keep this from me?"

It was only when he felt Sam's hand shaking that the man realized that he was scaring her. His anger disappeared, concern replacing it.

"Sam...are you alright?"

The girl looked up, tears filling her dark emerald eyes. She nodded, still not trusting herself to speak. Snape sat down next to her.

"Liar. What's wrong?"

Sam took a deep, shaky breath before responding.

"I--I just freaked myself out," she admitted. "You looked so angry, and I remembered what used to happen when I saw that. Plus, have you even heard some of the rumors floatin' 'round 'bout you? Pretty intimidatin'."

"I'm intimidating to you?" Snape asked, incredulous.

"Yes! I mean, no... I dunno! I can usually tell people are feelin' by the look in their eyes, and the look in yours told me that you were pretty damn mad. _That's_ what scared me."

"But you know me. Why would I scare you?"

"'Cause every time I see that look, I walk away with bruises!"

"You know I wouldn't hit you... don't you?"

"Yeah, but I can't help but think that's gonna happen. I can't help thinkin' of what's happened before."

Snape placed a hand on Sam's back, removing it when he felt her flinch.

"Hey," he said, making her look at him. "You know I wouldn't ever hurt you, intentionally or not. How about this? I'll try not to get so angry and you'll try not to do stupid things, alright?"

"'Kay."

Snape realized that it was extremely late, and judging by the size of her yawn, Sam was tired.

"I think it's about time you got to bed."

Sam stood up, stretched, and started for the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said, starting to leave.

"Where are you going?" asked Snape.

"Gryffindor Tower." Sam dragged the words out.

"No, you're not. The Fat Lady's most likely out of her frame now. No, you're staying here."

"'Kay."

She came back and laid on the couch, Snape leaving for a moment to get a pillow and a blanket. When he returned, he placed the pillow under her head and laid the blanket over her.

"Goodnight, Sam," Snape murmured, kissing her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

"'Night," Sam replied, already half asleep.

***

A noise woke Snape up suddenly around four o'clock. He sat up, listening. He was just about to pass it off as his imagination and go back to sleep when he heard it again. It sounded like a muffled cry. He got up to investigate the source and found it coming from the living room. More specifically, from Sam.

As he looked on, Sam was wrestling with the blanket, which was wrapped around her. He sat down next to her and saw her eyes wandering under closed lids. Snape gently shook her shoulder, hoping to wake her. Instead, she sat straight up, eyes flying open, though still glazed over in sleep.

"Stop," she whimpered.

"Sam, it's okay, I'm here," Snape said, shaking her shoulder again in an attempt to wake her.

"Stop," she said louder, trying to get away from the hand.

"Sam, you've got to listen to me, you need to wake up." The man shook her shoulder harder.

"Stop it!" the girl shouted, tears now streaming down her face.

"Listen, Sam, you've got to wake up! It's Mr. Snape, listen to me!"

Sam blinked, and her eyes became unglazed.

"Mr. Snape?" she asked, sounding dazed and sleepy.

"Yes, I'm here. It's alright; it was only a dream."

Tears welled up in Sam's eyes as the fear of the nightmare came back to her. She leaned over and hugged Snape, trying to stop the tears from overflowing. Her guardian rubbed her back, comforting her until she fell back asleep. She didn't have another nightmare.

***

That Tuesday, Sam was sitting in Defense class with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Class hadn't started yet; in fact, Prof. Lupin hadn't even arrived. Hermione suddenly pulled a face.

"Disgusting," she spat.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Just look," Hermione replied, discreetly pointing behind them. "That Pansy Parkinson is just disgusting."

Harry, Ron, and Sam turned to see Parkinson sitting at the same desk as Draco, flirting unabashedly. Draco paid no attention to her whatsoever, staring off into space with a bored look on his face. Sam got a mischievous expression in her eyes.

"Well, this could be fun," she said, standing and walking over to her boyfriend. When she arrived, she sat on top of his desk, breaking his stare.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" she asked, interrupting parkinson, who was in the middle of a sentence.

"You," Draco replied, looking grateful to be spared of the other girl's chatter.

"No, really. What're you thinkin' 'bout?"

"Okay, I was actually thinking about kissing you."

Parkinson cleared her throat loudly, gaining the couple's attention. "You _do_ know that it's incredibly rude to interrupt someone's conversation, don't you?" she asked.

Sam didn't bat an eye. "Yeah, but I thought a conversation involved two people."

"Yeah, Draco and I were having a conversation."

"Oh, really?" Sam asked, keeping a straight face. "I thought you were talkin' to the voices in your head."

Parkinson sputtered, shocked. "Well--I--I mean..."

Draco suddenly had an idea that would make Parkinson leave. He stood up. "Hey, Sam?"

She turned to him. "Yeah?"

He tucked a piece of her dark hair behind an ear. "You look really good today."

"Oh, yeah?" Sam asked, catching on.

"Yeah." Draco leaned forward, catching her lips in his. Her hands quickly found their way to his hair, running her fingers through it. He held her close, rubbing her back. Their classmates immediately looked towards them, the boys wolf-whistling and cat-calling. Parkinson huffed and stomped off, making both Sam and Draco smirk into the kiss. It was great until...

"Sit down, everyone," said a voice. After a moment, it continued. "Mister Malfoy, Miss Biluxy, kindly compose yourselves or I shall be forced to hose you down. And Miss Biluxy, do find a chair to sit in. I highly doubt Mister Malfoy will be able to do his work while you're sitting on his desk."

The couple broke apart, reddening when they saw that it was Snape speaking. Sam quickly hopped off of Draco's desk, sitting next to Harry.

"Thank you," said Snape, and he began the lesson.

Sam watched, not really paying attention. She knew that if she needed help she could just ask the man later. She mentally sighed, bored. There was nothing to do. Maybe she should just take a nap.

Suddenly, a note landed on her open book. It was from Harry.

_"You seem bored."_

Sam smiled to herself. Well, _there_ was something to do.

_"__ya i am. plus im tired. rnt u bored?__"_

_ "Sort of."_

_ "__soooo...__"_

_ "You really like Malfoy, don't you?"_

Sam was surprised. Where's _that_ question come from?

_"__ya i do. y r u askin?__"_

_ "I dunno... He hasn't exactly been the nicest person to Ron, Hermione, and me. I just want to make sure you're fine with this."_

_ "__of course im fine w/ it, othrwise i wuldnt b w/him.__"_

_ "You're right... If anything happens, you can always come to Hermione, Ron, or me. You know that, right?"_

_ "__ya i no. thx.__"_

The note didn't come back, and Sam stared off into space, facing in the general direction of the front of the class. If someone had asked her what went on a moment ago, she wouldn't be able to tell them. The lesson soon ended, and Sam stood up with everyone else, packing her bag and leaving with Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The four had decided to be civil while she was around, for her sake.

"Miss Biluxy, a moment please," came Snape's voice.

Sam said goodbye to her friends, walking to the front of the room, where Snape sat. He waited until everyone had left before speaking.

""How are you, Sam?" he asked, studying her.

"Fine, you?"

"Fine. Have you had any more nightmares?"

"No, why?"

Snape regarded her for a moment. "Why do you insist on lying to me?"

"...What?"

"Why do you lie to me even though you know I can tell when you are?"

"I just didn't think it was important. I didn't want you to worry; it wasn't a big deal."

"But it _was_ enough of a big deal to make you lose a lot of sleep over it."

"How'd you know?"

"You drifted off more than once."

"...Oh."

Snape looked at the girl in front of him. She was paler than usual, and she had massive black rings under her eyes that didn't have anything to do with the eyeliner she was wearing. Something told him that Sunday hadn't been her first nightmare.

""I can't keep you here any longer," he said at last. "You can't be much later. Come by my quarters after dinner."

Sam suddenly grinned. "'Kay, but that means my Potions essay's gonna be late."

"You haven't finished it yet? I assigned that two weeks ago."

"Truthfully, I haven't even started yet. Neither have Harry or Ron. We were gonna help each other tonight."

Sam's guardian sighed. How was it that the three friends of the school's biggest over-achiever not care about grades at all?

"Then I'm giving you an extension. Only you. And I'll help you, considering your two fellow procrastinators are just going to write ridiculously large and make everything up." He handed her a note. "Hurry, class is almost half-over."

Sam took the note and hugged the man, saying, "Thanks," before running out of the room.

"Don't run!" Snape called after her, feeling very much like a doting mother. He noticed that the girl left her Charms homework on her desk; no doubt having finished it during class.

_"Ah, Sam, what am I going to do with you?"_ he thought amusedly.

***

The rest of the day passed quickly for Sam, and soon she was standing from the table and saying goodbye to her friends.

"Where are you going?" asked Fred and George, who were sitting nearby. Sam quickly made up a half-lie.

"I got detention with Snape."

"Oh, bad luck--,"

"Just ignore anything he says and you'll be fine."

She smiled at their antics.

"Thanks. See y'all later."

"'Bye!"

She left the Great Hall, heading to the dungeons. She hadn't been walking for long when she realized she was being followed. Sam turned to see Draco following slightly behind her.

"Are you tryin' t'be sneaky?" she asked, trying to keep from laughing. Draco grinned and caught up to her.

"No, I wanted to see how long it would take you to notice I was there." They kept walking.

"Well, it didn't take long. You couldn't sneak up on someone if you wanted to."

"That doesn't sound like a problem. The only person I'd want to sneak up on is you."

"Yeah?" Sam stopped walking. Draco gave her a quizzical look.

"Why'd you stop?"

"'Cause I'm seein' Mr. Snape."

Draco realized that they were in front of the entrance to the man's quarters. "Oh."

"Yeah."

They stood facing each other for a few moments, each aware of the awkward silence. Neither of them, however, were quite sure how to break it. After a minute or so, Draco spoke, the silence having gotten too overwhelming.

"So, I'll see you later, then."

"'Kay. 'Bye."

Draco leaned in and gave Sam a quick kiss. He started to pull away, but Sam leaned in, deepening it. She threw her arms around his neck, and she felt his arms encircle her waist, lifting her off the ground a bit while bringing them closer together. They were unaware of their surroundings until the sound of someone clearing their throat startled them. Draco lowered Sam to the ground as they broke apart and turned to see Snape watching them.

"Um, see you later," Sam said, reddening.

Draco looked dazed for a moment. "Yeah, see you later," he said finally. "Goodnight, Professor."

Snape nodded in the boy's direction, keeping his gaze leveled at Sam. Once Draco left, Snape stepped aside, allowing the girl in. He took in the girl's appearance. She still had the dark rings under her eyes, but her dark emerald eyes were now lit with excitement. She also didn't look so pale, though the bit of color was from blushing.

"Well?" he asked once she'd sat down.

"Well what?"

"Why did you feel the desire to have a snog in front of my quarters?"

"Have a...what?"

"What you just did out there."

"Oh, you mean why did I make out with Draco? I dunno."

"You don't know. Well, _that_ clears things up."

Sam sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Come on, Mr. Snape, don't be like that. We're teenagers. What did you _honestly_ expect?"

Snape took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I know. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"So don't watch," the girl joked.

The man chuckled. "Nice try."

"It was worth a shot."

Snape quickly sobered up, remembering why she was there in the first place. "Tell me, did you sleep well last night? No more nightmares?"

Sam was immediately on guard. "No," she said slowly, dragging the word out.

The man sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "When did they start? Were you having them before Halloween?"

The girl looked away, refusing to look him in the eye. "They started when I was ten."

"Ten?" Her abuse would have been going on for two years by then.

"Yeah, I'd started smokin' and drinkin' by then. _He_ was comin' home a lot more often."

Her guardian nodded, understanding the hidden meaning behind 'he'. "What are they about?"

"Um, well, usually it starts out with--"

All of a sudden, Snape jumped, slapping his hand onto his left forearm. He stood and made to leave, speaking quickly.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I have to leave. It's very important that I go now. I'll walk you out, but then I must go."

Sam stood up. "What's wrong? Where are you goin'?"

Snape started leading her out. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't." They were now standing in the corridor, and the man leaned down to kiss Sam's forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

"'Bye."

With that, Snape turned and half power-walked, half sprinted down the corridor and out of sight. Sam looked on for a moment before heading toward Gryffindor Tower. As she passed through the Entrance Hall, she spotted movement in a corner.

Pansy Parkinson's friends were standing together, and Parkinson herself was making out with Draco. Sam felt her heart stop. What was going on? She watched as the two broke apart, Parkinson looking triumphant and Draco looking dazed. The boy spotted Sam and started to walk towards her. He was almost to her when she turned and bolted, too upset and confused to speak to him.

"Wha-- Sam, wait!" he shouted, chasing her.

Sam kept going, hoping to outrun him. No such luck. Draco caught one of her wrists, and when she turned to pull away, he grabbed the other one and pinned them to the wall, forcing her against it.

"Let me go!"

Sam struggled against him, and any other day she would have been able to push him off. Today, however, she couldn't get up the energy to do it. Her nightmares had left room for only a few hours of restless sleep, and she hadn't had the appetite to eat much at meals lately. This combination left her with almost no energy whatsoever.

"Sam, we need to talk this out," Draco's voice was calm, even when she was flipping out and running away from him. That fueled the little flame of anger within her, which quickly turned into a blazing fury.

"There ain't nothin' to talk _'bout!_"

"Listen, this is all just a big mis--,"

"Mistake? Like hell it was! But it don't matter, 'cause it's over."

"It's...what?"

"You heard right. You and me. It's over. _We're_ over."

"Can't we-- What are those?"

Icy cold fear ran through Sam's veins as she followed Draco's gaze to her wrists, which were visible now that her school robe's sleeves had been pushed down.

"N-nothin'," she stammered. "There ain't nothin' there."

"Are those...what I think they are?"

"N-no."

"Then tell me how you got them. What happened?"

"Nothin'!"

Adrenaline rushed through her veins now, replacing most of the fear and allowing her to push Draco off of her, taking off at a full sprint down the corridor. She knew she wasn't being followed, but that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was putting distance between her and Draco with his questions. She turned a corner, then another, then one more, not caring where she went. Though, she _did_ mind running into someone, which she did.

"S-sorry," she apologized, tensing to keep running.

"It's quite alright. What's the rush?"

Sam's head snapped up as she looked at the speaker. "Professor Lupin!" She took in the man's appearance. He looked even more tired than usual, with fresh healing scratches all over. "Are you--?"

He smiled. "I've looked worse, believe me."

It was then that Sam remembered that the full moon was the night before.

"But I believe that the better question is: Are _you_ alright, Sam?"

"What? Why would you--,"

"You're crying."

With a start, she realized that she was.

"...It's complicated."

"I think I can follow. Come, let's talk somewhere else."

He led her to his office, and she began. She told him about her nightmares, of talking with Snape, and of him leaving so suddenly, to which Lupin surprisingly scowled. Sam then told him of seeing Draco and Parkinson make out, and the confrontation that followed. Once she had finished, Lupin sat for a minute, thinking over what he'd been told. Finally, he spoke.

"Ah, Sam... about what Mr. Malfoy saw on your wrists... what was it?"

The girl sighed in resignation. "I kinda figured you'd ask. You won't tell no one, right? Especially Mr. Snape?"

The professor hesitated, but after a moment, he nodded. Sam took a few deep breaths and rolled up her sleeves, turning her wrists up. Lupin sucked a breath through his teeth.

"Sam," he said slowly, "how long has this been going on?"

Her pale white wrists were crisscrossed with countless faded pink scars. Some were almost faded away, but others looked almost red.

"I was eleven. It was a low point in my life. My dad--you know how he is--said some things that really stuck. He'd said things before that stung a bit, but never like thatIt really hurt. I went to take a shower and I just lost it. I broke down, and my razor was right there.

"When I first cut myself, I wasn't really aware of what I was doin'. It kinda just happened; I didn't even notice 'till I was dryin' myself off 'cause my towel was white. I think I stared for a few minutes, watchin' myself bleed. I couldn't believe I'd done it. I'd heard of people cuttin' themselves before, but I never thought _I'd_ do it. It was then that I realized I didn't feel bad. What he said didn't bother me no more.

"After that day, it got easier and easier t'do. Whenever my mom or dad said somethin' t'me that was really nasty, the next time I took a shower I'd just cut myself and let it out. I got real good at hidin' the cuts with a jacket or long-sleeved shirt. When it got real hot, I'd wear a watch with a wide strap on one wrist and use this liquid foundation on the other.

"I know it was stupid, Professor, but you've gotta think 'bout it from my point of view. I was hurtin' so bad, sometimes it was hard to breathe. I tried to stop once, but I got so depressed that I started thinkin' 'bout killin' myself. That scared me, so I went back to cuttin', 'cause that way I _could_ be happy. I knew I shouldn't have done it or kept it a secret from the boys, but I knew they'd worry too much and never let me near anythin' sharp, ever. Don't you see? I wasn't tryin' to kill myself, I was tryin' to stop myself from wantin' to."

About halfway through her story, Sam had begun to cry again, remembering the sadness and depression and hurt that she had felt that first time. She also remembered the nightmares she'd had that night, by far some of the scariest she'd ever had. She'd woken up screaming, and the nightmares hadn't stopped there, because she'd woken up her dad. He'd definitely _not_ appreciated being woken up at two in the morning.

"Sam, it's alright, I understand," Lupin comforted, rubbing the girl's back.

"Really?"

"Yes. And do you know what I think?"

Sam shook her head.

"I think that it's great you've told me, but there's someone else that needs to know about this."

"Mr. Snape?"

"Yes. You don't have to tell him right away, but he should know."

She nodded. "Yeah, you're right. D'you think I should tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione?"

"That's not my decision to make. They're good kids, but it's ultimately up to you whether you tell them or not."

"Yeah...and what should I do 'bout Draco?"

"Truthfully? You should get what happened from him. After that, it's up to you."

"You're right...I have one more question."

"Go ahead."

"I know Hermione would accept anythin' I told her short of murder, so I'm not worried 'bout her. Ron I'm pretty sure would flip out at first, but then he'd be alright with it. But how d'you think Harry would react to it?"

"React to what?"

Sam spun around to see Harry standing just inside the door.

"Oh, hey, Harry, what're you doin' here?" she asked.

"Looking for you. Hermione was getting worried."

Harry kept looking between her and Lupin, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"Oh. Than I guess we'd better leave.I don't wanna get caught by Peeves after curfew." She stood and walked to Harry. "'Bye, Professor. And thanks."

Lupin nodded. "Anytime."

"G'bye, Professor," Harry said, still trying to work out what Sam wanted to tell him. The two had turned and started to walk away when Lupin spoke.

"Oh, and Sam?"

The girl turned around. "Yeah?"

"About what we were speaking of earlier? I think you'd be safe telling Harry; I don't think he'll judge you too harshly."

"Really? Thanks. I think I'll tell him on the way."

"Then you'd better get started. I'll see you in class."

Sam turned back around and walked out, Harry following her. He was still confused, but now he knew that he'd be getting answers soon enough.

"You're prob'ly wonderin' what's goin' on."

He looked over at Sam. She was walking with her head down, like someone who'd just lost something important to them.

"I'll start from the beginnin'. Mr. Snape had to leave early, like he did when I was stuck in the Hospital Wing a couple weeks ago."

"He's a Death Eater."

"You're prob'ly right. I'mma ask him when he gets back. So he left, right? I was walkin' to Gryffindor Tower, and as I was passin' through the Entrance Hall I saw Parkinson and Draco makin' out in a corner."

"So the rumors are true, then?"

"There are rumors? It ain't even been an hour! What're they sayin'?"

"That you and Malfoy had a huge row and aren't speaking."

"...Row?"

"Fight."

"Oh. Yeah, that's pretty much true, but it's more than that: we broke up."

Harry immediately felt bad for the girl. "I'm sorry."

"It gets worse. He'd pinned me against the wall, 'cause I was tryin' to run, and he saw somethin'."

"What?"

"I'll show you, but you have to promise you won't tell no one. Not even Ron or Hermione."

He hesitated before nodding. "I promise."

Sam nodded and took a deep breath before rolling up her sleeves and holding her hands, wrists out, by her head.

"Sam, you're trying to tell me that... you--,"

"I'm a cutter, alright?" she interrupted angrily, lowering her arms. "Or at least I used to be. Well, maybe I still am."

"You are?" Harry asked, confused.

"I dunno! I used to do it every time one of my parents said somethin' nasty to me, and I haven't done it since all ya'll came and got me. But before I ran into Professor Lupin I was seriously thinkin' 'bout doin' it again. Does that make me a cutter still?" Sam could feel her eyes welling up with tears for what seemed like the thousandth time that night.

Harry took her right hand and held it, palm up, with one hand as he traced the scars with a finger. He stopped and looked up at the girl when he came to some vaguely half-moon shaped scars.

"What are these from?" he asked.

She looked down and saw where his finger was pointing.

"From the day ya'll got me outta that wardrobe. My dad said some downright horrible things to me that night. 'Bout two hours in the wardrobe and I'd stopped freakin' out over bein' in there and started thinkin' 'bout what my dad said. I flipped out, and normally I would've gone in the bathroom and cut myself, but I couldn't leave and I didn't have nothin' to do it with. I decided to use my nails t'do it. None of ya'll noticed 'cause I was already beat up and my dad could've done it."

The two heard the clock tower chime curfew, and Sam cursed under her breath, pushing her sleeves back down.

"Come on," Harry said. "We need to start walking again."

They took off at a half-run down the corridor, hoping that they wouldn't run into anyone on their way. They didn't, and at the last second, Sam stopped Harry from entering Gryffindor Tower.

"Yeah?" he asked, confused.

"Remember, no one finds out. C'mon, Hermione's prob'ly worried sick."

The other girl was indeed, and Sam and Harry had to make up a story of Lupin wanting to talk to Sam about her knowledge of Defense to get Hermione off their trail. Once she'd stopped talking of how worried she'd been, Hermione started up a conversation that got all four friends involved. Harry seemed to make a point of continuously hinting that Sam should tell Snape about her scars.

Sooner than the four friends would've liked, it was time for bed. They split off as they said goodnight, Harry and Ron going to one dormitory, Hermione and Sam going to another. As Sam lay in bed, she couldn't help but think about the day's events and wish they'd gone differently.

The nightmares were ten times worse than ever that night.

The girls of the Fourth Year dormitory woke around three in the morning to a sound like a half-strangled shriek. All but one girl, that is. Someone turned on a light, and they could suddenly see Sam fighting against an unknown attacker. She was struggling violently; thrashing, kicking, rolling from side to side. Hermione knew that these nightmares were worse than she'd had before, and proceeded to try and wake the girl up.

"Sam? Wake up; it's only a dream. Come on, wake up!" She reached out a hand to shake the girl's shoulder. As soon as she touched her, all hell broke loose. She began to scream, thrashing around harder. She threw out a hand and hit Hermione in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

Doors banged open, the students inside woken by Sam's screams. Ginny burst into the room, looking tired and worried.

"What's happened?" she shouted. Padma Patil answered her.

"We don't exactly know. Sam woke us up; we think she's having a nightmare. She didn't start screaming until Hermione touched her shoulder."

Ginny nodded and went over to the Sam's bed, joining Hermione in trying to wake the girl up. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that all of the girls were leaving the dormitory.

_"Probably off to gossip,"_ she thought.

Just then, the door flew open, Professor McGonagall hurrying in, tartan nightgown and all.

"What's going on here?" she demanded.

"Sam's having a bad nightmare, Professor," explained Hermione. "We can't get her to wake up."

"Stand back," instructed their Head of House. She drew her wand and pointed it at Sam. _"Ennervate."_

Sam shot up, panting and shaking violently.

"Miss Biluxy?"

Sam jerked her head around so fast that her neck cracked.

"Y-yeah?"

McGonagall gestured for the girl to go with her. "Come along."

Sam slowly stood up and followed the professor out of the dormitory and downstairs to the Common Room. All of the students stared as they made their way to the middle of the room.

"Well?" the Transfiguration Master asked. "What are you waiting for? Back to bed, all of you!"

Once the students had gone, the professor took Sam to the fireplace, taking a drawstring pouch from her pocket.

"This is Floo powder. Once I throw it in the fire, you must step into the flames. I'll say where you're going; you may want to step aside when you arrive so I don't accidentally mow you down. Understand?"

Sam nodded, and with some last-second tips, McGonagall threw a pinch of powder into the fire, turning it green. The girl found that the flames didn't hurt her, and could dimly hear the professor say, "Professor Severus Snape's quarters," before she began spinning around. She almost tripped as she came out of the fire, but caught herself at the last moment. When the professor arrived, she spoke in a whisper.

"I-I-I don't think h-he's here. H-he left, got c-c-called away earlier."

"Is that so? Then why don't you tell me who's sitting in that chair over there?"

Sam followed the teacher's gaze to an armchair and saw Snape sleeping in it. "He's back!" she said happily.

McGonagall allowed herself a rare smile at the girl's affection for the man. "Yes, he is. Now go and sit on the sofa while I make some tea."

The professor left, and Sam walked over to the armchair, which was facing the sofa. She watched the man sleep for a few moments before reaching out a shaking hand and lightly brushing away a piece of hair. She went to the sofa and sat, knees drawn to her chest, and let the night's events catch up to her. She began to cry as she thought about the nightmare. Not wanting to wake Snape up, she buried her head in her arms, which were resting on her drawn-up knees. She tried to be as silent as possible, but every once in awhile a hiccup or a sob would escape her.

Sam could feel that there was someone sitting next to her, but she assumed that it was McGonagall, so she ignored them. She realized that she was wrong, however, when they put their arm around her. She stiffened at the touch and looked up, looking away just as quickly when she saw it was Snape sitting next to her. She looked away for two reasons. First of all, she didn't want the man to see that she was crying. Secondly, she didn't want to accidentally look into his eyes and have him see her nightmare.

"Hey there. Why so sad?"

Sam didn't look at him. "I'm not sad. What're you talkin' 'bout?"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Sam, you're really not as good a liar as you make yourself out to be. Have you been having more nightmares?"

"N-no..."

"Why aren't you looking at me? Is there something you don't want me to see?"

Sam didn't reply, she only lifted a hand to scratch her itching head. Something, or rather, the lack of something caught Snape's eye.

"You aren't wearing your ring. Did something happen between you and Draco?"

This startled the girl so much that she turned to look at him.

"What happened?"

"I--I don't wanna talk 'bout it."

"Then show me."

Sam stared for a moment before realizing what had been said.

"But... I don't--want you to worry." Suddenly she found her voice. "It's really no big deal, it happens all the time, right? There's really no reason to make you worry when nothin' even happened."

"It's a big deal if you were crying about it and having nightmares of it. It may not be a big deal to you, but it is to me. How about this? I'll let _you_ control what I see and don't see. Sound good?"

Sam thought for a minute before nodding. "'Kay."

She looked into Snape's eyes and, after a moment, could feel a presence in her mind that wasn't her own. She thought back to when Snape left as suddenly as he had. Sam quickly realized that she could distort the memories in any way she wanted, so she put the memory on mute and fast forwarded it so that the man would see everything, but it would go by so fast that he could only get the general idea of what was happening.

Sam showed him seeing Draco and Parkinson making out, her trying to run away and getting caught, and Draco pleading with her to not break up with him. She let the man hear three words: "It's over, Draco," and then everything was turned on mute again. She sped up at the part where Draco saw her scars, because she didn't want him to see those just yet, and stopped when she ran into Professor Lupin. She drew away from Snape's presence in her mind. She saw that the man was studying her.

"What?" she asked.

"You're trying to keep something from me."

"Why d'you say that?"

The man gave her an amused look. "Why else would you fast forward through the whole thing and cut off the sound?"

"I didn't want to be here 'till mornin'. If I showed you the whole thing, in normal time and everything, we'd be here forever."

"Then why'd you go so fast at that one part? The one where Draco looked like he was questioning you? Just before you pushed him off of you and ran away?"

Sam thought for a moment of how she should reply, then answered. "Oh, I was going faster? I didn't even notice." She forced out a nervous-sounding laugh. "I'm such a blonde."

Snape looked as though he wanted to keep asking her about it, but let the subject drop. Professor McGonagall chose that moment to return with Sam's tea.

"Hello, Minerva. Thank you for bringing Sam to me."

"Anytime, Severus. I knew you were probably the only one who could calm her down when she was like that. Go on, Miss Biluxy, drink all of that tea. It'll help calm yourself."

Snape took one look at the hot liquid and knew that it'd been spiked with a potion. He looked into McGonagall's mind and saw a Dreamless Sleep potion poured into the drink. He down at the girl huddled against him.

"Go on, Sam, drink it. It'll help, believe me."

Sam looked at the cup for a few more moments before draining it of the tea. It only took a few seconds for her to yawn hugely and shut her eyes, leaning against Snape. It was only a few more seconds until the girl was completely asleep. McGonagall watched as Snape lightly brushed the girl's bangs out of her eyes.

"Have you ever considered adopting her for real?" asked McGonagall.

Snape looked up, confused. "What?"

She gave the man a disapproving look. "Don't play dumb with me. You know full well what I'm talking about."

"Yes, I know. I don't know... Would she even want to?"

"You mean to tell me you don't think she would? Of _course_ she'd want to; you should see the way she lights up when you're around. There's absolutely no way she _wouldn't _want to be your daughter for real!"

"But don't you need a parent's signature? How am I supposed to do that?"

"Merlin, Severus! Are you truly that afraid that you might become a father?"

"No, it's just... I want her to be safe and happy, but she can't have that with me being a spy for the Dark Lord. I don't want to put her in danger."

McGonagall hmm-ed, but nodded. "At least you're thinking straight. Have you realized that if you _do_ adopt her, The Order of the Phoenix can protect her? If you had to do something for You-Know-Who, you could tell us and we would watch her."

"I completely forgot, actually. But how long do you think I could keep her from him? He would find out eventually."

"You know better than that. You're a great Occlumens; he'll never find out unless you let him."

Snape thought this over for a minute, then nodded. "Do you know where I could get the papers?"

"Albus has probably had them since you became her legal guardian."

"I really hate the idea of having to go to him, but... I think that'll make a good Christmas present, don't you?"

McGonagall nodded. "I think she'll be delighted with that. I'll leave you two to bond; I'm off to do some damage control. She was screaming in her sleep, and I have no doubt the gossip mill is running high."

"Why don't you tell them that I'll give them detention if they gossip about her?"

"I would if they'd listen. I'll see you at a much more decent time of morning."

"Good-bye, then."

The woman disappeared back through the fire, no doubt to put the fear of Merlin into some gossipy Gryffindors. They may be the brave ones, but they were also some of the most gossipy ones. Rumors of Sam and her nightmares would be all over the castle by the time breakfast was over. He could only hope that the girl would be able to withstand it; he'd seen girls just as strong as her cut down by horrible, nasty rumors. It would just tear some girls up from the inside out.

But there already _was_ something tearing Sam up from the inside out. He didn't know what it was about yet, but he would find out. Also, what was Draco asking her about that was so important? It was obvious that she didn't want him to know about it; she sped up at that part and then lied about it, for Merlin's sake!

He thought back to that part. Sam was pinned against the wall, and she'd just told Draco that it was over. Draco was trying to make her see reason; to get her to reconsider, and then he stopped. He was looking at something on the girl, not her face, not her body (thank Merlin... the boy knew how to control himself.), not her clothes... Wait. Was he looking at her wrists? That would explain the questioning and the speeding up. It would also explain, in part, why Sam took off the way she did.

But what was there? A tattoo? It made sense; that would be something the girl would want to hide from him, but it didn't explain her overreaction to Draco seeing. It had to be something else, something worse... Could it be? No. Sam would never do that... Would she? Could she have gotten so depressed as to hurt herself like that? There was only one way to find out.

Snape looked down at the sleeping girl, already feeling guilty. He felt that he was betraying her trust, almost like he was taking advantage of her slumber to try and find out her secrets. _"But if she _is_ hurting herself like that, then I need to know so I can help her."_ Right? Yeah, that's what he would tell her if she found out. That would either make her understand, or make her ridiculously angry. He hoped it would be the former and _not_ the latter.

Carefully, Snape took one of the girl's arms, which were resting on her lap. Taking a steadying breath, he turned the arm over so that her wrist was face up. Looking down at it, he gasped as his fears were confirmed. "Sam, what have you done to yourself?" he asked quietly as he looked at the crisscrossing pattern of the pale pink scars.

_**Chapter 9- End**_

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**Well, did you like it? I hope so. Please let me know. Also, if you point out any spelling/grammar errors, that would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've once again been grounded from the computer on account of "bad grades" (all A's and one B--ugh), so updates are going to once again come slower. Though they won't stop for months at a time like before. So please be patient, and I hope this tides you over until I can get another chapter on here!**

**Thank you all so much for reading and putting up with my slow updates!**

**3 artyluvr**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again! I know it's been awhile, but I have almost no chapters finished for you after Chapter 11. My grades aren't exactly the best right now (a C in English... ugh), so my parents aren't exactly apt to let me write/type. But I _am _writing at school (which is probably why I have bad grades, ha), so updates won't stop completely.**

**Thanks to everyone who Author Alerted/Story Alerted me, it means so much!**

**Anyway, here's Chapter 10, enjoy!**

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_**Chapter 10-Dirty Little Secret**_

Sam woke up a few hours later, oblivious to the fact that Snape knew her biggest secret.

"Good morning, love," Snape said, kissing the top of the sleepy girl's head as he sat down next to her. She yawned.

"Hi. What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty."

Sam was suddenly awake. "Eight-thirty? I'm gonna be late for class! Not to mention miss breakfast! I gotta go."

Snape almost laughed, but restrained himself. "It's fine," he said, taking out his wand. "You're already dressed."

Sam looked down and saw that the man had Transfigured her bedclothes into her uniform. She also saw that her book bag was sitting on the floor near the door. "You thought of everythin'. Thanks. But what 'bout my contacts?"

Snape pulled her glasses out of his pocket, placing them on the girl. "Wear these today."

Sam made a face. "But I look like such a nerd with them on."

Snape did chuckle then. "You look fine. Let's get some breakfast, shall we?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry."

The two left the man's quarters and started to head to the Great Hall for breakfast. They chatted amiably, Sam feeling safe because of the man's arm around her shoulders. They were both aware of students staring at them, but found that they didn't care at all. Sam had absolutely no idea that Snape was talking about her scars when he mentioned "Keeping secrets"; she thought he was talking about her nightmares.

The two split off when they reached the Great Hall, Sam going to the Gryffindor table and Snape going to the Staff Table. Each were aware of people staring and whispering at their entrance; the two ignored them with growing annoyance. Sam could hear Crabbe and Goyle loudly asking Draco why he wasn't going to her.

"Come on, you always go say hi to her! What's up with you today?"

"Yeah, you're usually acting all lovey-dovey by now."

Draco said something unintelligible, and a second later they were back to pestering him with questions.

"But she's your girlfriend!"

"You're _supposed _to do that kind of thing with her!"

Finally, Draco had had enough. "We broke up, okay? Give it a rest, already."

"...Oh."

"Sorry, Draco."

Sam had to fight to keep the tears that welled up from falling. No one would see her cry. No one, save for her friends and Snape, but that was only when no one was around. She sat down next to Ron, across from Harry, and diagonal to Hermione. "Hey, guys."

Hermione began worrying all over her the moment she spoke. "Are you alright, Sam? I was trying so hard to wake you up last night, but _Ennervate_ didn't even occur to me. You're okay, right?"

"Hermione, leave her alone; she's fine," Harry said, trying to calm the over-worried girl down. "You _are_ okay, though?"

"Sounded like a bloody horrible dream, it did," Ron put in.

"Yeah, it was," Sam conceded. "But I'm fine now, Harry. Don't worry 'bout me so much, Hermione, I can handle it."

"Hey, Sam," called Dean Thomas, a boy in their year, from down the table.

"Hey yourself, Dean. What's up?"

"We were wondering down at this end of the table what's going on with you and Snape. It seemed like he was actually being nice. What's up with that?"

"He's like a dad to me, 'kay? He's the first wizard I met, besides my dad, but he don't count. Anyway, he's always been nice to me. He was helpin' me calm down after that nightmare last night."

"...Oh, alright."

"Sam? We wanted to ask you something," said Lavender Brown.

"Oh, yeah? Shoot."

Lavender looked at her posse conspiratorially before continuing. "We've heard that you and Malfoy broke up. Is that true?"

You could practically hear a pin drop at the Gryffindor table. Everyone wanted to hear the answer to _that _particular question. The light in Sam's eyes went out.

"Yeah, we did. That it? I'm ready to leave."

The other girl leaned back with a self-satisfied smirk. "Yes, that's all."

Sam stood up and walked away, ignoring Hermione's shouts to wait up. She left the Great Hall at a power-walk, wanting to get away from the stares, from the whispers of curious students. She turned down a little-used corridor, aware that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just behind her. After a moment, she found that she didn't want to walk anymore. She dropped her book bag and punched the wall with a wordless shriek, her emotions overwhelming her. She sank to the ground in tears, letting her emotions take control of her for the moment.

"Sam!" she heard Harry shout. Or was it Ron? Maybe it was Hermione. Then again, it could've been someone else completely, but she couldn't tell. She was dimly aware of someone, more than one someone actually, kneeling down next to her and holding her. She was no longer crying; she was full-on sobbing, sobs wracking her thin frame. She was confused; she wanted Draco back so badly, but she wasn't sure if _he_ wanted to get back with _her_. It was all too confusing. What was that kiss all about, anyway? Why would he do that? Was there something wrong with her? These were the types of things running through Sam's mind.

Draco got up when Sam and the Golden Trio left, wanting to see what was going on. It was obvious from where he was watching that that Brown girl had asked Sam something incredibly rude, and he wanted to know what was going on. He exited the Great Hall just in time to see Potter's robes disappear around a corner. He followed, and stopped at the corner before them, so they wouldn't see him. He leaned forward and saw Sam punch a wall before sliding down it in tears.

"Sam!" the Golden Trio shouted simultaneously.

Draco watched as his former girlfriend broke down completely, gut-wrenching sobs tearing from her throat. He felt horrible; he should be there, comforting her, but his presence would only make her angry. Sam was hiccuping; done with sobbing, but still upset.

"Sam, listen to me," Granger said in a soothing voice.

Sam looked up at the other girl, tears silently streaming down her face while she hiccuped.

"Don't cry about what Lavender said. She's not worth it."

Sam nodded.

"Yeah," added Weasley, "and don't cry over Malfoy either, alright? He's not worth your tears."

The girl didn't respond at first, then nodded.

"Hey," Potter said gently. "D'you want me to call your boys? I'm sure they'd like to meet Malfoy."

Sam laughed, obviously imagining Draco being beat up. Her laughter died down quickly, though, and soon she was sober-faced.

"Hey guys?" she asked quietly, so quietly that Draco had to strain his ears to hear.

"Yeah Sam?" Granger asked.

"Could you kinda move away a bit? Y'all know I'm claustrophobic."

"Oh, definitely."

This gave Draco something to think about. Sam was claustrophobic? He'd heard that term used a few times, but he had no idea what it actually meant. He'd have to find out. Right now, though, he had to get to class or risk being late. Again. He'd been late at least ten times already...because he was snogging Sam. Merlin, he needed to find something to take his mind off her.

***

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sam walked into Herbology late that morning. Professor Sprout, at first, looked disapproving, but when she saw Sam's red eyes, she simply said: "Try not to make a habit of it."

"Are you alright?" Hannah Abbot, a kindly Hufflepuff across from Sam asked.

"Yeah, fine. Thanks, Hannah."

And so it went for the rest of the day. People would come up to her to either ask her if she was okay or to ask her questions. That is, except for the Slytherins. Most of them didn't like her to begin with, so they didn't care. It got annoying for Sam really quickly; someone would always seem to come up to her just as she'd gotten everything off her mind, and then they'd remind her of what was going on.

Potions was by far the worst class of the day. She sat with Hermione for the first time in weeks, and she was having trouble getting used to the other girl's industriousness again. Also, Potions was a double period with the Slytherins, so she had to endure two hours in the same room as Draco, which was awkward for the both of them. On top of all that, she was constantly getting looks of sympathy and pity from the Gryffindors and sneers and looks of superiority from the Slytherins.

Sam was more than glad when classes were over for the day, and promptly went to the library to listen to her music in solitude.

"I'm doin' fine

And the sun often shines

What are you thinking?

At the worst of my mind

With this thunderbird wine

Baby, I'm drinking-

Only you know me

Since you went away, my heart breaks everyday

You don't know 'cause you're not there

You simply found the words to make a lot of feelings fade away(our model feelings)

Only you know me

Only you know me..._"_

Hearing the lyrics to that song made a few tears escape Sam's eyes. It fit her and Draco's situation. Pretty soon it was curfew, and Sam left the library, heading for Gryffindor Tower. She skipped hanging out with her friends and went straight to bed, despite the fact that it was only eight o'clock. Hermione came in and wanted to know why she wasn't hanging out with everyone, annoying Sam to no end.

"I'm not hangin' out with y'all 'cause I don't want to, 'kay? Just leave me alone!"

That night, Sam woke up around eleven-thirty and began to think about what was going on in her life. She thought about Draco, her friends, her cutting, and everything else. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, quietly sneaking out of the dormitory.

***

_"Come to Mama," _Sam thought as she opened the bottle of Firewhiskey. She'd gone down to the kitchen and asked the house elves if they had any alcohol, telling them that some of the older students were having a party. The little elves were more than delighted to give her a bottle.

_"Thank God for alcohol," _she thought once she took a swig. She reveled in the familiar tingling in the back of her brain; she would get drunk more quickly on that than on Muggle beer, and she was glad. _"As long as I don't pass out and make it to the Tower by mornin', I'm good." _She kept swigging the whiskey straight from the bottle, looking around the empty classroom she'd found to hide out in.

Under the influence of the alcohol, all of Sam's sadness turned into anger and rage. She stood up and kicked over the chair she'd been sitting in, feeling satisfied at the crash it made. She set the mostly-empty bottle of Firewhiskey down and started kicking over chairs and overturning tables. After a few moments she felt good enough to pick up chairs and throw them against the wall. She didn't think; she simply acted. Something caught her eye and made her stop. The bottle. It was made of glass. Glass was sharp when broken...

Sam reached down and picked up the bottle, throwing it against a wall. Quickly, she went and picked up the sharpest shard she could see and brought it down once, twice, three times on her wrist. Alcohol numbing her brain, she barely felt a thing, but she knew that her blood was on her skin, and that was all that mattered in that moment.

***

Snape was on night duty that night, wandering around the castle to make sure there were no students out of bed. If there were, in fact, students out of bed, he would get to give them detention. He was just walking past a little-used corridor when he heard a crash.

_"What the--," _he thought, wondering whether or not it was Peeves trying to be annoying again. He heard the sound again, and slowly headed in the general direction from where the noise came. The crashes were coming more and more now, and it left Snape able to find the classroom from where the noises were.

He found the door, but when he leaned in he didn't hear anything but the sound of feet. Suddenly the sound of breaking glass came, followed, after a moment, by the sound of a single shard of glass hitting the floor. After a few moments, the crashes resumed. Snape opened the door to find Sam kicking desks over, throwing chairs at walls, and breaking everything she saw.

"Sam!" he shouted. He was ignored. "Sam!"

The girl didn't seem to notice him; she kept on trashing the room. Snape saw a broken bottle of Firewhiskey on the ground and his heart sank.

_"She drank almost a whole bottle of Firewhiskey. She's definitely wasted; I'm amazed she hasn't passed out."_

Snape walked up behind the girl and grabbed her around the waist, knowing that there was no other way she would pay attention to him. She instantly began kicking the man, shouting obscenities.

"Holy shit! Lemme go, you son of a bitch! You coward, lemme the hell go! Get your Goddamn hands off me!"

"Sam!" Snape tried to shout over her. "Sam, listen to me!"

"There ain't no way in hell I'm gonna listen to a Goddamn coward! Put me down so I can fight you right!"

"I'm not putting you down! Come on, Sam, listen to me! It's Mr. Snape, remember me? I know you can hear me! It's Mr. Snape; stop fighting me!"

It took a few minutes, but eventually Sam stopped fighting. At first, Snape thought it was because she finally understood him, but he soon found that he was wrong.

"There you go, Sam, stop fighting me. You know you don't want to. Listen to me... What's that smell?"

Snape could smell something metallic, but he couldn't place it. Yes, it was a familiar smell to him, but he just couldn't tell what it was. He slowly became aware of something warm trickling down his arm. Looking down, Snape realized two things. First, the girl in his arms had cut herself with glass from the Firewhiskey bottle. Second, Sam hadn't stopped fighting him. She'd passed out from blood loss.

***

Sam woke up in a room that was much too bright for her. She tried to sit up, but someone gently pushed her back down. It was just as well. She felt like she would be sick right there if she moved her head. Nevertheless, she rolled her head to her right and could vaguely see the form of her glasses on a nightstand. Someone took them and placed them on her. Now that she was able to see, Sam could tell that she was in the Hospital Wing. Looking to her right, she saw that Snape was sitting on a chair next to her.

"Hello, love," he greeted.

"How long have I been here?" she asked, voice raspy.

The man gently stroked her hair. "Twelve hours. It's one in the afternoon."

"What happened? I kinda remember classes yesterday... and yellin' at Hermione and goin' to bed early... but that's it."

"You went down to the kitchens, remember? You got a bottle of Firewhiskey and got drunk. Then you broke the bottle and cut yourself."

"What?" Sam sat up quickly and a wave of nausea overcame her. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Quickly, Snape conjured a trash can and held it under Sam's head as her stomach emptied itself, rubbing her back. She coughed a few times before coming up.

"Thanks," she said weakly.

Snape vanished the trash can and wiped the girl's mouth, gently helping her lay back down while placing a hand on her forehead to check for a temperature.

"If you were right 'bout the Firewhiskey, then I just have a hangover. At least it feels like I got one."

"I know, but better safe than sorry."

Madame Pomfrey bustled out at that moment.

"I thought I heard something, is everything alright?"

Snape answered. "Yes, Poppy, Sam woke up a few moments ago and got sick."

"The alcohol, no doubt. How are you feeling, Miss Biluxy?"

"Alright if I don't try to sit up."

"Understandable. You don't feel dizzy or lightheaded at all?"

"Like I said, only if I try to sit up."

The mediwitch performed a diagnostic spell on the girl.

"Well, you seem fine for the moment. How about we change your bandages?"

"Bandages?"

"Remember what I told you, Sam?" Snape gently reminded. "You cut yourself with glass from the Firewhiskey bottle."

"Oh yeah."

Madame Pomfrey looked up sharply. "She doesn't remember?"

"She told me that she remembers everything before she snuck out of Gryffindor Tower. She doesn't even remember waking up."

Sam, who'd been thinking hard about what she'd been told about the night before, spoke up. "Now that you mention it, I remember some things. I remember bein' real sad, then bein' real pissed off, and I remember throwin' some chairs and knockin' desks over, but that's it. It's prob'ly the Firewhiskey; alcohol does that, you know?"

Pomfrey obviously still had her doubts, but nodded and began to change Sam's bandages. Snape gasped through his teeth. Sam's wrist was raw and bloody; one could easily see where the skin was cut. Sam looked a bit paler than usual, but other than that, she seemed to act like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"It's been worse, believe me. Once, I went and mud wrestled with Josh while the cuts were still open, and they got infected real bad. That wasn't fun."

"Why on Earth were you two mud wrestling?"

"'Cause it'd just rained, and we thought it'd be fun. It was, 'till I found out that my cuts were infected."

Snape shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder about you."

"What d'you mean?"

"Sometimes you do things that are just so incredibly stupid."

"Hey, I try to have fun when I can."

"There's a difference between 'having fun' and 'being stupid'."

Madame Pomfrey finished with Sam's bandages and handed her a potion.

"Drink this."

Sam did so, passing the goblet back quickly. The mediwitch left, and once she'd gone into her office, Sam made a face and shuddered.

"Ugh, nasty. What _was_ that stuff?"

Snape smiled at her reaction. "A Blood-Replenishing potion. It helps your body get back all that lost blood."

"Speaking of, did you already know that I'm a cutter? You don't seem real surprised 'bout that part."

"Don't label yourself like that. And yes, I did know; I found out the night you came in from your nightmare."

"Oh. Is that why you were talkin' t'me 'bout keepin' secrets?"

"Yes, and also because you won't tell me what your nightmares are about."

"I thought so..." Sam yawned hugely. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Snape replied, taking off the girl's glasses and kissing her forehead. "Get some sleep, alright? I'll be right here."

She yawned again and closed her eyes. "'Kay."

Soon she was asleep, oblivious to the world around her. Snape watched her, watched the way she breathed slowly and regularly, the way her face was smoothed into peace, the way nothing seemed to bother her when she was like that. The doors opened and Dumbledore stepped in, walking directly over to Sam's bed and sitting on the other side of the girl. Snape ignored him and gently brushed hair away from the girl's face.

"How is she?" Dumbledore quietly asked after a minute or two.

"She's doing fairly well. She woke up a few minutes ago, but I made her get some more sleep."

"How did she feel?"

"From what she said, she has a nasty hangover. She got sick as soon as she sat up. Other than that, she's fine."

There was a pause, during which Dumbledore was preoccupied with choosing a lemon drop to eat. It wasn't exactly an awkward silence, but it wasn't altogether not awkward either. Snape remembered something.

"Albus, Minerva said something the day before yesterday about some papers you might have. Concerning Sam and I?"

Dumbledore looked up, having unstuck two lemon drops from each other. "I was wondering when you might ask. When are you planning on having them signed?"

"On Christmas, they're going to be a present."

Dumbledore smiled, baby blue eyes twinkling madly. "I have a feeling that this will be the most memorable Christmas she's had."

"That's the goal."

Dumbledore stood up. "The papers will be in your bottom desk drawer. I'll speak to you later. I need to go substitute one of your classes."

"Goodbye Albus."

The man left, and Snape inwardly sighed. Fourth Years were going to spend two hours learning to brew lemon drops. That was going to be a disaster. He groaned and rubbed his face with a hand. Distantly, he heard the sound of the door opening, sounding like someone was trying to get in unnoticed. He looked at the water pitcher, which was made of metal. He could make out a shock of platinum blonde hair. What was Draco doing there?

"You can come in, you know."

Draco jumped, startled. How did Snape know he was there? He shut the door and walked in, taking the chair opposite the man.

"Where are you supposed to be?"

"Potions, sir."

Snape couldn't resist glaring at the boy across from him. "And why did you decide to skip _my _class?"

Draco winced at the glare. "I heard from other people that you weren't there."

"Well, why did you come here?"

The boy hung his head. "I wanted to see Sam, sir."

"You understand that her seeing you may not be the best thing at the moment, right?"

"Yes, sir. I was going to see if she was asleep before I came in."

"Draco."

The boy looked up at his name. The Potions Master almost never used his first name. "Sir?"

"What happened that night? When Sam broke up with you?"

"I was going back to the Common Room, and Pansy called me over. She said it was something important. I went over and she started talking about something, I don't remember, I just know that it was pointless. One of her friends shouted 'She's coming' and Pansy pretty much attacked me. I was still in shock when Sam came out and saw us. I didn't want to hurt Pansy, but I broke it off and saw Sam standing there. I tried to explain it all to her, but she just wouldn't listen."

Snape thought about this information for a few moments. "You're saying that you were not snogging Ms. Parkinson?"

"No, she was snogging me!"

The two looked down, tense, as Sam groaned and turned her head. She didn't wake up, though, and was soon still once more.

"Is she alright? I'm not about to go by what rumors say."

"What are they saying?"

"That she went crazy, started trashing the room, and knocked herself out."

"You were right to not listen to the rumors. She decided to drink a whole bottle of Firewhiskey by herself. I daresay that the alcohol turned every emotion she was feeling at that moment into rage. You already knew about the cutting?"

Draco looked down at the bandages on the girl's left wrist. "I had an idea, but I wasn't sure if I was right."

"You were. Apparently everything became too much, because she smashed the empty bottle against the wall and used the glass to cut herself. That's why she was unconscious; she passed out from blood loss."

The boy looked guilt-ridden. "I should've done something. I mean, I could've told her what really happened, and none of this would've happened. This is all my fault."

Snape reached over and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "No, it's not. If anyone is to blame, it's Ms. Parkinson for starting all of this. Don't blame yourself for something that's not your fault."

Draco gave the man a half-smile. "Thank you, Professor. That really helps."

"You're welcome. Now, you should get back to class."

"Won't your substitute be angry?"

"It's the Headmaster; I daresay he'll understand."

_**Chapter 10-End**_

* * *

**Well, did you like it or hate it? Or did you feel anything at all? Please review and let me know, because I'm always open to constructive criticism. Or praise. Praise works, too. **

**Chapter 11-Winter Wonderland will be coming later this month, so keep an eye out for it!**

**Thanks again for reading!!!**

**~artyluvr**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know it's been a while, but I didn't want to post anything before I finished writing chapter 12. Don't ask, it's just something I do. ^_^ Well, thanks for waiting, and I hope you like it!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 11- Winter Wonderland**_

Sam took the rest of that school week to recover, and she was in Snape's private quarters for the weekend to make sure that she really was alright. Snape kept a close eye on her, but stopped when he saw her instant-messaging her friend Ricky to give her privacy. The boy had asked her what was going on with her, and she'd told him everything about her and Draco breaking up and how she'd "freaked out" in the empty classroom. Their conversation afterwards went like this:

VampireGirl: wow, im tlkin 2 much. imma shut up now. go ahead & tlk. ::zips mouth shut::

ElfBoy: lol sam u couldnt shut up 4 2 secs if u wanted 2. i bet ur tlkin rite now.

VampireGirl: ::unzip:: no im not ::zip::

ElfBoy: ::unzip:: u cn tlk u no idc

VampireGirl: bt i tlk 2 much u need 2 tlk more ::zip::

ElfBoy: no u dnt. bt ur sure ur fine???? (::unzip::)

VampireGirl: ya im fine. bt it bugs me dat idk wat dat kiss was bout. ::zip::

ElfBoy: idk, it seems 2 me dat it wasnt wat it seems. wat was his name? oh ya, draco. well, josh ddnt try 2 explain 2 u wen he made out w/ paulie. draco tried 2 explain 2 u wat wuz goin on, so i think dat there wuz somethin goin on dat u dnt no bout..

VampireGirl: ...

ElfBoy: wow sam. ::unzip::

VampireGirl: thx i lost da key. idk, but he hasnt tried 2 tlk 2 me since. ::zip::

ElfBoy: i think he thinks u dnt wanna tlk 2 him no more. otherwise i think hed try & xplain again. ::unzip::

VampireGirl: ...how r u a guy???? srsly ::zip::

ElfBoy: ummm.... u no... i got a..

VampireGirl: ::busts through zipper:: WOAH!!!!!! stop talkin, shorty. rite now.

ElfBoy: lol u tlkd. (btw im not that short)

VampireGirl: XP (u barely clear 5'2". thats short.)

ElfBoy: ;-) bt srsly, try tlkin 2 him itll prob work.

VampireGirl: kk i will ***YAWN*** im tired ill ttyl k?

ElfBoy: wat time is it over there???

VampireGirl: ummmmm.... lyk 1030. AAAAACK mr snapes comin 2 tell me 2 go 2 bed. gtg, ttyl kk???

ElfBoy: lol u fail. tell him i say hi, k?

VampireGirl: kk. say hi 2 da boyz 4 me, k?

ElfBoy: kk (btw dat sounds messed up)

VampireGirl: RICKY!!!!!!

ElfBoy: byby!!!!!!!

VampireGirl: **punches**

ElfBoy: owww....

VampireGirl: lol, by

ElfBoy: by

**ElfBoy has left the conversation**

"Do I want to know?" Snape asked, scanning their conversation.

"Um, no?"

"Because it's full of innuendo, right?"

"...How'd you know?"

"Please, you're fourteen. Goodnight."

Sam went back to school the Monday. She still got stares and whispers, but she didn't care quite so much. Sure, it bugged her, but she could handle it now. She wasn't about to go and down a bottle of Firewhiskey and destroy a classroom. She also had no desire to cut herself.

Time, though, went by agonizingly slowly. Sam wasn't waking up all of Gryffindor with her nightmares anymore; Hermione had found a way to keep her from getting to that point. There was now a ward Sam's bed that would wake her up if she started having a nightmare. It helped Sam get more sleep, and it kept the gossip mill from adding her to their list of "people to talk about".

Thanksgiving came and went, with Snape allowing Sam to bring Harry, Ron, and Hermione to his quarters for a small celebration. She had to teach the four wizards what the holiday was about; it was hard for Sam to grasp the fact that not all countries celebrated Thanksgiving. It may have been a small celebration, but it was a happy one. Snape even got over the fact that the Golden Trio was there and allowed himself to act the way he always did when he was with Sam. That startled the three friends, but they decided that they liked it.

December crept up on the castle so slowly that no one saw it coming. One day it was, at least for Sam, Thanksgiving, and the next it was November 30. It was ridiculous, really; time seemed to go by slowly, yet the days themselves seemed to fly by. Students and teachers alike were left unsure of what day it was. Teachers were getting frustrated with the students, who were already getting hyped up about Christmas, even though it was almost a month away still.

"Does it always get like this?" Sam asked one day.

Harry laughed. "You should see it the last few days before break. Teachers absolutely hate it."

Sam quickly found a schedule that didn't include Draco at all; wake up around seven, go to classes, do homework, hang out with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and any other people who happened to join them, then go to bed around ten. It was a schedule that worked and kept her mind off of all the things she didn't want to think about. One day, everything changed.

Through the heavy curtain of sleep, Sam could hear the voices of her dormmates.

"Aww, that's so sweet!"

"D'you think she'll do it?"

"I wish _my_ boyfriend would do something like that."

"I never knew he could be so cute!"

"He must've been freezing!"

Sam rolled onto her back, yawned hugely, and sat up, opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was all of her dormmates crowded around the window, ooh-ing and ah-ing over something outside.

"What's goin' on?" she asked, voice raspy from sleep.

Everyone turned to her.

"Come here, you've got to see this!"

"Lucky! Can you find me someone like him?"

Sam stood up and grabbed her glasses off her nightstand, putting them on as she stumbled over to the window. Girls moved out of her way as she got closer. The first thing she noticed was all of the white covering the grounds. Just as she was about to comment, something on the ground caught her eye.

_Kiss the new day with our love_

_ And hold your dreams in mine._

_ I will wrap my love around you_

_ Until the end of time._

was written in cursive just below their window.

"Draco," she managed to whisper. She was gone from the window in a moment, pulling on socks and tennis shoes. As she was doing that, she mentally made a checklist.

_"White tank and purple Soffe's... not too dirty. I've got a bra on, so that's taken care of... Shit! My morning breath sucks like hell. Gotta go brush..."_

She sprinted into the bathroom, quickly brushing her teeth, watched by all the girls in her dormitory, who were already dressed. She ran out of the bathroom.

_"Damn, it's cold. I should prob'ly grab my jacket... My hair looks like somethin' died in it, where's that hair tie?"_

She grabbed the jacket and swung it over her shoulder, slipping the hair tie on her wrist. Once that was taken care of, she ran out of the dormitory and down the stairs into the Common Room, ignoring the stares she was getting. She dashed out of the Common Room and into the corridors, aware that all of the girls in her dormitory, plus some other students, were following her. She made a beeline for the Great Hall, knowing that breakfast was going on.

As she went, she pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. She was just finishing pulling on her jacket when she reached the Great Hall. Ignoring even more stares, this time from both staff and students, she scanned the room, finally spotting Draco with his Housemates. She started to run over, and was spotted by the boy, who quickly stood up and half-ran to meet her.

"Sam? What are you--?" he started, but was cut off by Sam throwing her arms around his neck in a huge hug.

"I take it you got my message?"

"How'd you come up with that quote? It was awesome!"

"I'm just amazing like that."

Sam laughed. "And modest. Don't forget modest."

Draco chuckled, then turned serious, pulling out the ring. She'd dropped it when she left him, just before she ran. It was one of the reasons he hadn't followed her.

"Well, will you take me back?"

The entire hall was silent, everyone wanting to hear the response. Sam and Draco were, as of yet, the most popular couple; especially among the girls who weren't in Slytherin, because it was a classic forbidden love-type romance.

"D'you really think I can say no? Of _course _I'll take you back."

Draco smiled and slipped on the ring. As he lifted his head back up, Sam caught his lips in a sweet, exalting kiss. He responded, clearly wanting a more heavy kiss, but she teased him, not letting it go in that direction. As soon as their lips touched, a chorus of "Awww"s came from all of the girls present, followed by clapping. By the time they parted, there was a rolling applause. Hogwarts' favorite couple was back.

Sam gently slapped Draco on the cheek. "Lemme tell you, if I catch you makin' out with someone else again, there'll be hell to pay. Got it?"

"Yeah, but that wasn't--,"

"I know. Mr. Snape told me a few days ago."

Draco chuckled, then kissed her again. This time, when they parted, Draco spoke first.

"Not that I don't love this look on you or anything, but you might want to get dressed."

The girl turned pink, glancing over to the Staff Table, where Snape sat looking both supportive and disapproving. "Yeah, that's prob'ly a good idea."

She turned and walked away, heading back up to her dormitory to quickly get dressed. It was a Sunday, so she put on what she usually put on in the winter: a white long-sleeved shirt, long black skinny jeans, black tennis shoes, and her black jacket. When she left the Tower, Draco was already waiting for her. They embraced, Draco kissing the top of her head, pausing after.

"What?" asked Sam.

"Your roots are blonde. I swear you're a natural blonde."

"No I ain't."

"Yes, you are."

"No I ain't."

Draco moved closer with every sentence he said.

"Yes, you are."

"No I ain't."

Soon Draco's lips were only centimeters from Sam's.

"Well, are you?" he asked, his lips barely brushing hers with every word.

"...Yeah. I dye my hair."

"Why?"

Sam reveled in the way they were so close. What did Draco just ask her? Oh, yeah. "'Cause I like it better black."

Draco leaned forward, closing the remaining little bit of distance between the two in a kiss. Sam's head spun. _"This is how it's supposed to be," _she thought. Draco grinned as they broke apart.

"What?" she asked.

"If I'd known before that it was so easy to get you to tell me things, I'd have done it before."

It took Sam a moment to process what he'd said, then smacked him in the shoulder. He turned and ran away, Sam following close behind him, smacking him whenever she got the chance. The both of them had to stop after a moment, desperately needing breath from laughing and running at the same time.

"Come on, you haven't had breakfast yet."

The two walked inside to find that everyone was talking about them.

"Really?" Sam asked, annoyed. "They'll talk 'bout us no matter what."

"Just ignore them."

Sam made her way to the Gryffindor Table, sitting next to Ron, across from Hermione, and diagonal to Harry. Draco sat on her right, straddling the bench and facing her.

"Mornin'," she said to her friends.

"Hey Sam," replied Hermione, looking pleased with the fact that Draco was back with Sam. "Hello, Malfoy."

Draco nodded in her direction. "Hello, Granger."

Ron and Harry looked at each other. _"Well, if Malfoy's being civil, then I might as well be, too," _they thought.

"'Lo, Malfoy," Ron greeted.

"Glad to see you two are back together," Harry said.

"Hello, Weasley, and thank you, Potter."

Sam grabbed some toast, bacon, and eggs and promptly made a sandwich. She took a mouthful of pumpkin juice, glancing at Draco. She snorted and began alternately laughing and coughing.

"Merlin, Sam!" Draco said, grabbing a napkin and wiping some of the juice away from her mouth. "What's so funny?" Ron patted the girl's back in an attempt to make her stop coughing. After about a minute, Sam had calmed down enough to speak.

"It's you, Draco. I couldn't help it."

"What?"

"You looked so serious, I had to laugh."

"...What am I going to do with you, Sam?"

"I dunno." She gave him an almost hopeful look. "Kiss me?"

"That works." He gave her a kiss, which Sam broke off before it could become anything more than a peck.

"Ugh, I got pumpkin juice up my nose."

Draco gave her a strange look before chuckling. "You know how to ruin a moment," he said.

"It ain't funny, it burns."

At this, Draco laughed out loud.

***

"Sam, look out!" Ginny shouted.

Sam turned and ducked just in time to miss being pegged in the head by a snowball. She looked up and saw that Draco had thrown it. She quickly made her own snowball and lobbed it at Draco, who got hit square in the face. Sam waved before ducking down to make more snowballs.

"You are dead, Ron Weasley!" Hermione shouted.

Ron had just thrown a snowball that landed on the side of her head, snow getting stuck in her ear. She made a snowball and quickly whispered a spell that, once thrown, would make it fly directly at Ron. She threw it, and it hit the boy in the back of the head, sending him headlong into a pile of snow. She laughed and got more snowballs ready.

_"Harry Potter!" _Ginny shouted, furious. The boy had charmed at least twenty snowballs to fly, one after another, and hit her directly in the face. _"I'm going to kill you!" _ Her only reply was the sound of his laughter. Suddenly, she had an idea. Quickly, or at least as quickly as she could, she made a giant square made of snow and charmed it to fly towards Harry. She looked up just in time to see the boy knocked off his feet. She giggled, and then doubled over laughing when she saw the boy sit up, snow caught behind his glasses.

Sam looked up when she heard a disdainful snort. Pansy Parkinson was standing not more than twenty feet away with her cronies, watching the fight condescendingly. She made a big show of scoffing at them to the other girls; she was speaking quite loud.

"...Acting like children, where's their sense of pride?"

That gave Sam an idea. She caught Draco's attention and gestured to Parkinson, miming throwing snowballs at her to him. A feral smile came to his lips, and he nodded before telling the other boys of their new plan.

"Ginny, Hermione," Sam loudly whispered, gaining the attention of the two girls. "Make a lot of snowballs. We got a truce with the guys; common enemy, y'know?"

The two girls looked behind them, seeing Parkinson, they smiled and nodded. All six of the teenagers began making snowball upon snowball, until everyone had a pile of snowballs. Sam caught Draco's eye and held up three fingers, then two, then one...

"Attack!" they shouted, lobbing snowballs at the group of girls. It took them a few seconds to realize what was going on, and by the time they did, they were already soaked. They turned and ran, getting pegged by snowballs until they were inside the castle, where they couldn't be reached. The six teenagers laughed and headed inside, freezing. Sam was snuggled under Draco's arm, having never been in such cold temperatures before. They got inside the castle just in time to see Parkinson complaining to Snape, who had obviously been talking to Dumbledore.

"...And they just attacked us! Can't you do something?"

Snape glanced up at Sam, taking in the girl's flushed cheeks and smile, looking quite content under Draco's arm. He looked at the other five teenagers, who wore similar expressions, common ones of a recent snowball fight. He looked back at Parkinson and her cronies.

"Have you forgotten how much grief you caused Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Biluxy by purposefully breaking them apart? I should be taking points away from _you _and _your_ friends, not them and their friends."

Parkinson looked dumbstruck for a moment before huffing and flouncing off. Sam walked forward, giving the man a hug. "Thanks, Mr. Snape."

The man hugged her back for a moment before pulling away. "You're soaking. What did the six of you do, dump buckets of snow on each other?"

Sam laughed. "Somethin' like that."

The man sighed and pulled out his wand, casting a Drying Spell on the six wet teenagers. "Go have fun."

"Plannin' on it. 'Bye!" Sam gave the man another quick hug before walking away. "'Bye Professor Dumbledore!"

The Headmaster waved, a small smile on his face. "Goodbye, all."

Once the teens left, Dumbledore gave Snape a sidelong glance. "And why are you waiting until Christmas?"

"To tell the truth, I'm not sure what else to give her."

"Doesn't she have friends in America? Why don't you bring them over? It wouldn't cost much to buy them airplane tickets."

Snape looked surprised. "I honestly hadn't thought of that."

"And now you have. I must go now. Goodbye, Severus."

"Goodbye, Albus."

***

Harry was worried a few days later at breakfast. He'd stepped on Filch's cat's tail the afternoon before, and now he had detention for that Saturday, which was the day of a Quidditch match. Not just any Quidditch match, though. It was a Quidditch match against Slytherin, and Gryffindor didn't have any reserve Seekers. He knew Angelina would be upset; the question was _how_ upset she'd be. He spotted her talking to her friends, and he called her over.

"Oy, Angelina!"

The girl looked up and walked over to him. "Hey, Harry. Ready for Saturday's match?"

"About that..."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"I got a detention, and I can't make it to the match."

"What?!"

"But..."

"You know we don't have a reserve Seeker! What, are we supposed to forfeit to Slytherin?"

"No! Listen, I think I know who can play for me."

"What? Who?"

"Sam Biluxy."

Sam sat down at that moment. "What 'bout me?"

"Sam, this is Angelina Johnson. She's our Quidditch Captain. I was just telling her about how I can't make Saturday's match."

Angelina cut in. "And since we don't have a reserve Seeker, Harry suggested that you fill in for him."

Sam half-choked on a bite of waffles. "What?" she asked between bites. "Y'all want me to fill in and be Seeker for Harry?"

"Yes," Angelina confirmed. "That is, unless you don't think you could do it."

"Course I can do it."

"Then meet me at the pitch right after classes. You'll use Harry's broom."

***

Sam met Angelina at the Quidditch pitch almost as soon as the bell rang.

"You're late," Angelina said as Sam crossed the rest of the distance to the pitch.

"The bell just rang," Sam replied. "I came as fast as I could without gettin' in trouble for runnin'."

"Next time, run."

"...Alright."

"Here." Angelina handed the other girl Harry's broom. "Go warm up. Maybe you'll impress me."

Sam took off, first flying laps around the pitch, then doing loops-the-loops, somersaults, barrel rolls, dives, and anything else that came to the girl's mind at that moment. Harry, Ron, and Hermione came and sat in the bleachers to watch their friend. Angelina put Sam through her paces; she threw golf balls for the girl to catch, threw bowling ball-sized snowballs at her to dodge, and flew at top speeds in complicated patterns for her to follow. When they were done, it was safe to say that Angelina was pretty impressed.

"You're almost as good as Harry," the older girl complimented at the end.

"What's the difference?"

"Practice. We don't have any more practices scheduled, so that was the only practice you're going to get before the match. All you need to know now is that you need to wait until we're a hundred and fifty points up before you catch the Snitch. Knock Malfoy off his broom if you have to."

"Draco?"

Angelina gave her a strange look that turned into doubt. "Right, you're his girlfriend. That's not going to be a problem, is it? You won't let him win, right?"

"Course not. I just forgot he was Seeker. That's gonna make it even more fun; competin's what we do best."

"I hope so, for your sake."

_**Chapter 11- End**_

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**_**Yeah, it's a bit short, but I really didn't want to have the match and everything before that in this chapter, because then it would have been too long. So did you like it? Hate it? Have no particular feeling about it? Please press that big, pretty button that says "Review" and let me know. Chapter 12 probably won't be up for a while; March is a busy month for me, what with MPA and show (_The Wedding Singer!!)_. **

**Until next time,**

**~artyluvr**


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